


In a Hole in the Ground

by LouphiaTheHobbit



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Battle of Five Armies Fix-It, F/M, Gen, Secrets, The Shire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-10
Packaged: 2018-01-10 07:00:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 64,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1156544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LouphiaTheHobbit/pseuds/LouphiaTheHobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the battle of five armies and the death of Thorin Oakenshield, Kíli's life changes drastically. Together with an exiled she-elf (well, his exiled she-elf), he ends up in an unlikely place: The Shire.<br/>This is the story of how a certain dwarf came to live in the Shire, hidden from his kin and rarely visited by the King under the mountain. And yes, there will be fluff, a little drama and probably some baby dwelfs!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue Part I

**Author's Note:**

> Right! I felt like trying my hands at something new: Fluff! I have never written anything that didn't contain at least a tiny amount of angst/death/hurt so this is basically a first for me. If things or characters seem a bit off, I blame it on my lacking experience.  
> I hope you enjoy the story and am glad for any ideas you might have!

When Kíli woke after the battle of five armies he instantly wished he hadn’t opened his eyes and regained consciousness. Everything hurt. His head felt like somebody had dropped a rock on it, his chest hurt, he vaguely remembered being pierced by a blade before blacking out, his limbs hurt and even thinking hurt.

He would have gladly died. In fact, he wasn’t sure if he was actually alive until he heard somebody calling his name. It was a nice voice. Friendly and somehow familiar.

The dwarf tried to turn his head but pain shot through his body and a groan escaped his lips.

Suddenly, his vision was filled with red. Masses and masses of red hair were hovering above his face and somewhere in the mess he saw green eyes, filling with relief.

 

Tauriel. Right. He was dead. If she was here he must be somewhere in the afterlife. But why did death hurt so much?

 

“Am I dead?” he croaked feebly.

 

He was surprised to see a faint smile tugging at the elf’s lips.

 

“No. You’re brother was right. You’re to stubborn to die.”

 

The smile he attempted didn’t turn out quite the way he wanted to and turned into mask of barely disguised agony.

 

“What…?” He needed to know what happened. There was the battle, people dying everywhere, Thorin falling, Fíli and he defending their uncle’s body and then pain, endless, raging pain and suddenly nothing.

 

“The battle is won but our armies suffered great losses. I though I had lost you…” she whispered. The relief left her eyes and was replaced by a distant shimmer of pain. Kíli tried to reach her hand and was glad when she noticed and stopped him from moving by placing her slender palm over his rough and probably very bruised one.

 

“Your brother is okay. We found him next to your uncle’s body. He had taken a very bad blow to the head and some nasty flesh wounds but nothing that can’t be healed.” 

 

She noted the relief that seemed to set over Kíli’s body.

 

“The others?” He knew speaking wasn’t the best idea at the moment but he needed to know. Even though he dreaded her answer.

 

“Thorin Oakenshield was recovered from the battle field but I’m afraid there was nothing we could do. He died two days ago.”

 

The pain following the gentle words was nothing he had anticipated. While he was well aware of the fact that his uncle’s survival had been unlikely, the reality of his death hit him hard and made him forget his own pain for a moment.

 

Tauriel squeezed his hand and unconsciously started rubbing comforting circles on the back of his hand.

 

“Gandalf tried to safe him but nothing could be done. I think, in the end, he was glad to go. He would have been very proud of you. Both of you. I am so sorry for what you have lost“ she whispered.

 

Kíli fell asleep soon afterwards and it took him two more days to regain full consciousness. While the pain was a little less than the last time, he still felt torn and broken, yet he tried to sit up.

 

This time there was no elf by his side and his surroundings seemed very dark. Night, he concluded. Obvious. Gathering all his strength he swung his legs over the edge of his bed and immediately regretted to movement. The pained gasp alerted the sleeping figure opposite him.

 

“Kíli?”

 

The dwarf could have wept with joy. His brother was alive and well and there.

 

A moment later a lantern was lit and his brother moved towards him.

 

“We though we were going to loose you.”

 

Kíli could see tears in his brother’s eyes and tried hard to put on a brave face.

 

“Well, you won’t get rid of me that easily!” he said, hoping to put a smile on his brother’s face.

 

“Don’t say something like this! You were out for almost three days. Tauriel said you woke once and since then you have been sleeping.”

 

“Is she here?”

 

Fíli wasn’t sure if he should be annoyed by his brother’s choice of priorities but decided that in the light of recent events he could let it slip.

 

“She’s speaking to Gandalf, I think. Something about your healing process?”

 

Kíli seemed satisfied with that answer.

 

“And… “ he wasn’t sure if he could ask for his uncle just now. Fíli seemed to understand.

  
“We had to bury him. I’m sorry.”

 

The older dwarf hated to see the sadness on his brother’s face but with the weather and the condition the body had been in, it was the only thing they could do to let Thorin rest in peace. He would have liked to hug his brother to ease the pain but he knew that he would only cause more. Tauriel had spoken to him earlier that day and warned him that the wounds were not healing as well as they should. She suspected it had something to do with that blasted Morgul arrow Kíli had been shot with when they escaped Mirkwood. It seemed like something from another life.

Kíli didn’t know what to say. He was a little disappointed that his uncle had already been buried but he knew that it was probably the reasonable thing to do. Before he could say anything else, his brother was pressing a cup of water into his hands.

 

“Drink.”

 

Kíli obeyed and was somewhat glad for the opportunity to hide his teary eyes behind something. The silence was comforting.

Fíli, however, couldn’t enjoy the calm much. He knew it was treacherous and he was painfully aware of the need to tell his brother about his condition. Before he could do so, however, a small creature hurried into the tent.

Kíli managed a smile at the hobbit, who squeaked in delight when he saw the youngest of the company had finally woken up.

 

“How are you feeling, Master Kíli?”

 

“Like I went to hell and back.”

 

The smile on the hobbit’s face fell a little and he turned to face Fíli.

 

“Have you…”

 

A subtle shake of the head shut the halfling up.

 

Bilbo cleared his throat awkwardly.

 

“Fíli… why don’t you pop out and search for Gandalf? I’m sure he’d like to know how Kíli is faring.”

 

With one last glace at his brother the blond dwarf left, but not before gently squeezing Kíli’ shoulder.

 

“How are you, then, Master Burglar?” Kíli managed with a true smile.

 

Bilbo shrugged. “Oh… I’m quite alright. Bit sad, I’d say. And ready to go home!”

 

Kíli managed a small chuckle before drawing in a sharp breath.

 

“Oh, you should rest!” Bilbo exclaimed franticly.

 

“I’ve been resting for the past… what, five days!” Kíli protested but he was beginning to feel dizzy and he had a feeling a wound may have been opened by his movements. Bilbo took the cup from his shaking hands and helped Kíli putting his legs back to the bed. Before he could lower himself down completely, the entrance swung open once again and the tall figures of an elf and a wizard came in, closely followed by Fíli.

 

“Ah, Kíli!” Gandalf said, his tone friendly and a little relieved.

 

The last thing Kíli remembered before sinking back into his bed was the look of panic on the elf’s face. 


	2. Prologue Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kíli overhears some bad news and has to face a pretty serious conversation with his lady-love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, more! This is the second part of the prologue, a third will follow tomorrow. For some reason, I enjoy all this hurt/angst/drama way too much and it takes forever to get out of it. Anyway, I promise: After Prologue Part III, fluff will follow! Enjoy reading and, as always, I appreciate feedback!

Prologue Part II

Fíli was sitting on the floor of he tent he and Kíli had been sharing fort he past week. His brother had drifted in and out of consciousness during the past two days, which he considered a slight improvement, compared to the five days he spent dead to the world.   
Currently, Gandalf was lecturing the soon-to-be-King-under-the-Mountain about the injuries his brother had suffered and Fíli noted, much to his frustration, that almost nothing had changed for the better.  
Yes, the fever had broken, the wound on his brother’s head seemed to be healing and the bump on his forehead didn’t look as threatening as two days ago. Still, the large wound in his brother’s abdomen stubbornly refused to heal, as did the numerous cuts. Tauriel had found the dwarf under a rather impressive pile of bodies, a broken blade still in his stomach, and his armour pierced by the sharp and unfortunately rather dirty pikes of an orcish armour, hence, the tiny cuts all over his body. 

“… to be quite honest, Fíli, I am not sure if your brother will ever heal.”

Gandalf’s words brought him back to reality with a painful clarity. 

“What?!”

“I am sorry, Fíli. Your brother is weak. His wounds are not healing as they should and even the elves are out of their depth.”

Fíli felt a cold panic blooming in his body. His brother couldn’t die. 

“But… you’re a wizard! Surely, there is some way to safe him?” He asked desperately.

Gandalf looked at Fíli with so much sympathy, it nearly broke the dwarf. He refused to believe it. He wouldn’t let his brother die. Not after everything they went through. 

***

Kíli woke up to his brother’s distressed voice.   
“What?” that was Fíli. He sounded scared. Angry even.   
“I am sorry, Fíli. Your brother is weak. His wounds are not healing as they should and even the elves are out of their depth.” Gandalf.   
Kíli desperately wished he had woken a moment later. The finality in Gandalf’s voice left no room for imagination. The wizard seemed convinced that the heir to the throne was going to die, sooner or later. Kíli felt sick. He didn’t want to die. He wasn’t ready to die. 

 

“But… you’re a wizard! Surely, there is some way to safe him?”

Kíli had to smile at his brother’s defiant words. Of course he’d simply not permit his brother to die. It was irrational, but it gave Kíli hope. He cleared his throat, trying to gain the wizard’s and his brother’s attention.

In the blink of an eye the older dwarf was by his side. He seemed out of words, simply starring at his brother’s face. 

“Am I going to die?”

The fear in his younger brother’s voice was too much for Fíli and silent tears began to run down his cheeks, vanishing into his beard. He shook his head.   
“I’m not going to let you.”

Gandalf seemed to decide that it would be wise to leave the brothers alone and left the tent.   
Yet, the privacy didn’t last long, as soon, the dwarfs were joined by Tauriel and Bilbo, the only two people who seemed concerned enough to wait close to the tent, just in case something changed.   
Fíli stepped away form his brother’s bed in order to give the other two some space and the four of them settled into an awkward silence. 

Kíli really wanted to ask questions, but it seemed inappropriate and somehow he didn’t know how to lift the heavy mood. It was not everyday one overheard people talking about one’s own possible death.   
“So…” Kíli started, not really knowing where he was going with this.   
Tauriel, Bilbo and Fíli all took a step closer to the bed, reaching out for Kíli, indicating for him to lay still. The injured dwarf rolled his eyes.   
“How bad is it?” he finally asked.   
None of the others seemed to think it was their place to speak, until both, Fíli and Tauriel started at the same time.

“The wounds…” Fíli, started.  
“We don’t…” Tauriel began at the same time. 

Kíli gave a soft snort. A rare expression of fondness settled on the elf’s face as she motioned for the other dwarf to speak. 

“Well, you’re wounds aren’t healing but you heard as much. We don’t really know what it is but Gandalf thinks, you might be better off elsewhere. Far away from all the trouble.”   
Fíli couldn’t help a soft smile when he saw his brother’s disgruntled expression. He hated staying away from trouble. Especially as he was usually the one who caused it.   
Bilbo cleared his throat and Kíli’s eyes moved to the hobbit. 

“If you want to, you could come to the Shire. It’s quite far away from all kinds of nasty business and you could rest till you feel better. I suppose Gandalf could help.”

“I…” Kíli was clearly lost for words. “I don’t want to leave my brother behind.” He murmured. Suddenly he felt like something was strangling him, the though of leaving Fíli behind was tremendously unpleasant.   
Before Fíli could answer, Gandalf appeared again, asking for a private word with Bilbo and Fíli, leaving Kíli in the company of Tauriel. 

Despite his worry and the pain, Kíli couldn’t help the nervous excitement bubbling in his belly. He hadn’t had the chance to talk to the pretty elf since he had regained consciousness and he had longed for some privacy with her. Too many things had happened and too many things had not been addressed. It was time to discuss that accidentally-on-purose and slightly awkward kiss they had shared before Kíli had left for Erebor, shortly after the dragon had been killed. It had been the night before the departure; everyone had been fast asleep, or so they thought. All Kíli had dared to do was kiss her on the cheek when he thanked her for saving his life, out on the balcony of Bard’s house. But she had turned to do the same and somehow their lips had met, neither of them able to do the appropriate thing and pull away. It was short and soft and sweet. And awkward. Before either of them could say something, Fíli had come out, looking for his brother. 

Kíli was relieved when Tauriel took his hand in hers once she had settled down on his bed. She seemed to struggle with words and for once Kíli didn’t know how to start. All he had ever done was crack a joke, flirt a little. He made people smile. He had never had to do this. To have a serious conversation about serious feelings. Because even though he knew that he was a dwarf and she was an elf and the likelihood of her returning his feeling was low, he knew he could never and would never love anyone else.   
At some point in the future he would have to reconsider that statement but of course he didn’t know that now.   
Tauriel took a deep breath and Kíli squeezed her hand in an encouraging manner, hoping she knew how to deal with the situation.   
“When I first found you, “ she started, her eyes cast down, a shadow lingering on her face, “I was convinced you were dead. There was so much blood and you had a broken blade buried in your stomach.”  
Kíli could see tears forming in her eyes. He tried to smile at her reassuringly but wasn’t sure it was helping.   
“The pain…” The elf stopped speaking and Kíli realized with a start that she was holding in sobs. It scared him a little, for he had no idea of how to deal with a crying woman, especially an elf. Would it be okay to touch her face? Before he could make a decision she continued.  
“It was unbearable. I think, it was pure stubbornness that made me take you to this tent. Nobody really bothered anymore. I was just another elf carrying a dead dwarf away from the battle field.”  
Kíli let go of her hand and, regardless of all reason, he reached for her face, touching his fingertips against her cheek. She moved a little and allowed him to cup her cheek properly. He was glad that he was able to provide comfort.   
“When I laid you down on the bed, I heard you gasp. You must have been in so much pain, probably blacked out. Too stubborn to die.” She repeated her words from the first day he had woken from his coma.   
A desperate chuckle escaped her lips.   
“I don’t know how we did it but somehow, Gandalf and I managed to patch you up a little. Though, he said it didn’t look good.”

A tear finally made its way down her cheek and Kíli tried his hardest not to stare or to panic.   
“Don’t”, he whispered. The watery smile he received in return was enough reason for him to give her a grin. He knew things weren’t ideal but even if he was to die from his wounds, he’d like to die knowing Tauriel knew he was serious about his feelings.   
“I’m okay for now” he tried to sooth her and it seemed to help a little. “How are you, Tauriel?” He suddenly remembered his manners. 

The elf gave a tired sight. “I’m not hurt. The worst may be over, at least I know that the elves are leaving for Mirkwood soon and only some healers will stay here, for a while.”  
A sadness came over her and Kíli dreaded the answer to his next question.  
“So, you will be leaving as well?”  
To his immense surprise the elf shook her head.   
“No. I had a … disagreement with Thanduril about … things. I am no longer welcome in his kingdom.” Her voice was distant and Kíli noticed the hard line to her face.   
“He banned you?”   
“Yes.” She shrugged. “I am free to go wherever I want to go, as long as it is not Mirkwood.”  
Kíli nodded. He seemed a little upset about Thanduril’s decision, Tauriel noticed with a tiny smile. Despite all the horror that had unfolded not long ago, she seemed to be smiling a lot lately. The glint in the dwarf’s eyes brought her back to reality.

“You wouldn’t… want to stay with me? By any chance?” 

His voice was quite, he was well aware of how silly he was being. But he figured it couldn’t hurt to ask. And if Gandalf would really convince him to leave Erebor, the elf could accompany him to wherever he was going. 

Her silence made him cringe. Stupid! He thought. Why would a strong and beautiful elf agree to stay with a broken, wounded and beardless dwarf? 

“Forget what I said.” He murmured, after she refused to break the silence. “All of it.” He added, hoping she would understand that he was referring to his fever-induced speech about starlight and love, back in Laketown.


	3. Prologue Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get into motion!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Also, please take a look at the note at the end of the chapter :)

Prologue Part III

 

“It is quite simple, Fíli. Your brother has no chance of regaining his health if he stays”, Gandalf tried again. Bilbo noticed the slightly annoyed tone in the wizard’s voice and couldn’t help but understand. Fíli simply refused to see reason. The only person in Middle Earth who could possibly heal his brother was Elrond of Rivendell, yet, he didn’t want to leave his brother in the hands of an elf. 

“My kin will never understand!” Fíli argued heatedly. “I cannot allow that.”

“You can allow whatever you want. You are King under the Mountain! Besides, have the elves not gained your trust?” Gandalf asked.  
Fíli gave a tired sight. Of course there were some elves that did not deserve his distrust but he also had to think about his people. In a way, he mused, Thorin had been right. One day he would understand why it was acceptable to choose different priorities. His brother couldn’t always come first, he had duties now, people expected things, and nobody was going to ask whether he liked it or not. 

“They wouldn’t … I don’t think they would respect my decision. I know how the majority of us still feels about the elves and it doesn’t matter that I may or may not have changed my opinion.”

“Making decisions of such gravity is never an easy task and I know that you have not asked for it. But consider what is best for you brother.” Fíli gave an angry snort.   
“Are you saying that no matter what I do, I will lose my brother?”   
Bilbo though it was time to intervene, as Gandalf was clearly not going to be successful anytime soon.   
“No, Fíli. What I think Gandalf is trying to say is that either you send your brother away and safe his life or you do not allow his departure and he will, sooner or later, die from his wounds.”  
The blond dwarf looked like he was either about to cry or burst into an angry speech about the possible outcomes of both suggestions. Before he could open his mouth, however, Gandalf placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
“Do your brother a favour and allow him to go to Rivendell. Lord Elrond may be able to help him. He may be far from you but at least he will no die.”  
Fíli’s shoulders sacked and the fight left his posture.   
“Fine. But I still think nobody should know.”   
Gandalf raised an eyebrow and turned to Bilbo.  
“Well, Master Burglar, I think we require your talent one last time.”  
Bilbo’s eyes grew round. “What?!” He squeaked. “You want me to steal a dwarf?”  
Gandalf chuckled and even Fíli smiled a little.   
“I intend for Kíli to travel to Rivendell and then go to the Shire. It might do him some good to be further away from this place, it seems to hold some kind of curse for him.” Gandalf explained.   
Fíli gave a short nod. “Fine. Fine, do whatever has to be done. I do not wish for him to suffer. But he can’t travel alone and you and Mr Baggins will be expected to join the coronation.”  
The mere thought of the event sent uncomfortable shivers down his spine. Fíli still had to get used to his new position and the responsibility that came with it.  
“Indeed he can’t but I think, he may well be dealing with this problem on his own”, Gandalf replied with a tinkle in his eyes. He seemed to be laughing at a private joke.   
“Who… what?” Fíli felt a little embarrassed but again, he couldn’t quite catch up with the wizard.   
“The elf, Fíli.”   
Fíli’s brows furrowed. He knew his brother had developed an unhealthy liking for Tauriel but he did not expect her to return the notion. Apparently, Gandalf had a very different idea. “Thanduril has banished her for helping you. He is greatly displeased with her actions and she refused to turn her back on your people. You owe her your trust.”

“And my brother’s life. I know, I know. When are they leaving then?”  
Fíli was still uncomfortable with the idea of letting his brother go but he knew there was barely a choice.  
“Tonight.” Gandalf said, his tone forbidding any resistance.  
Fíli swallowed thickly and gave a curd nod. He was doing that a lot today.  
“What do I tell the others?”   
“I will deal with them. Just make sure nobody visits your brother.”  
Before Fíli could ask any further questions, Gandalf turned around and hurried back to the camp.  
A heavy silence settled between the dwarf and the hobbit when they walked back towards the tent.   
Bilbo could see the battle that was raging inside the king under the mountain and he felt deeply sorry for the young dwarf. 

*** 

The silence in the tent was deafening and Kíli was sure that this was the most awkward moment of his life. A part of him was hoping he would just pass out again. That way she could leave without having to reply and he could try forgetting about it himself. The gods didn’t grand him such luck though, and he was stuck in the situation. His hand left Tauriel’s cheek.   
The sudden absence of warmth on her face snapped her back to reality.   
“I do not wish to forget.” She said softly, knowing that now it was too late to ever turn back. Not that she wanted to.   
The smile on Kíli’s face was blinding and he reached out to take her hand. Tauriel gently wove her fingers through his and lifted their hands to her lips. She kissed the back of his hand softly and revelled in the beauty of the moment.   
Her dwarf was, quite obviously, speechless but the elf was content with watching him smile. The sweetness was replaced by something else soon, though, and the smile on Kíli’s face turned into a cheeky grin.   
“I knew I’d grow on you.” He croaked, his eyes sparkling. Tauriel chuckled.   
“Couldn’t help it. You were far too charming, barely conscious and fever talking. Nobody could resist that!” She teased. She had to admit that she was a little surprised at how easy those words left her lips. While she had never been as graceful and serious as most elves of Mirkwood she had certainly not joked, let alone teased, in a long time. It felt a little foreign to her, but good.   
Kíli felt the very sudden and very strong urge to finally kiss the elf-maid properly, but given his current condition there was no way he could initiate more than holding hands and pained groans. So he settled for giving her slender fingers another squeeze and hoped for a time, in which he could move freely. 

The silence was broken when Fíli entered the tent, closely followed by Bilbo. Instinctively, Tauriel loosened her grip on his hand but Kíli refused to let go of her. Though, he did attempt to hide their intertwined fingers in the small space between their bodies.   
Kíli didn’t like the look on his brother’s face and the warmth that had taken hold of him moments earlier shrunk a little and he tried to steel himself for some unpleasant news.

“Gandalf wants to send you away.” 

Well, that was not was he had expected. He struggled to get into a sitting position; all cares about his health forgotten but a gentle hand stopped him. With a frustrated sight he allowed Tauriel to push him back down.   
“What if I don’t want to?” he asked pertinacious.   
Something in his brother’s posture changed as he straightened his back and schooled his features in something less brotherly and more regal.   
“If you do not go on your own accord I will ban you from the kingdom.”   
Fíli felt like he was betraying his brother but reminded himself that it was necessary for the young dwarf’s survival.   
All happiness and warmth vanished from Kíli and he was quite certain that all colour had left this face.   
“On what accord?” Tauriel asked, suspecting something was up. It was not like Fíli to force his brother form his side but when the blonde’s eyes landed on her, she felt uncertainty rising in her chest. Could he really be so cruel to his brother? She had been convinced that both dwarf princes had reconsidered their opinion on elves and she had had the sneaking suspicion that Fíli had been aware of the emotions she shared with his brother.   
Kíli’s face was set into a mask of hurt and confusion. Why would his brother do that to him? It seemed grossly unfair and incredibly cruel. How could he even dare to consider using Tauriel against him?   
The hobbit cleared his throat once again, jerking his head towards Fíli and Kíli’s eyes flew from the elf’s face to his brother’s stern expression. For the first time he saw cracks in the mask he was wearing with great care and with tremendous relief he noticed the wrinkles around his brother’s eyes. Fíli looked sad, heartbroken even and he was desperately trying not to let it show. 

“Why?” Kíli sounded so much younger and somewhat lost. 

“It’s for your own good. I don’t like it much either” Fíli sighted. Turning his gaze away from his brother his eyes found Tauriel’s.   
“Gandalf wants you to take him to Rivendell.”   
To Kíli’s horror he saw Tauriel give a nod. “I understand”, she said, lowering her head. 

 

***

The next few hours passed in a rush. Tauriel left his side soon after Fíli had ordered him to leave, promising to return with some food and something stronger to drink than water. She had successfully reasoned with him and he had agreed that it would be clever to pack enough food, healing supplies and water to last them at least a month. While they hoped that they would reach Rivendell sooner, it was never a good idea to travel unprepared, especially considering Kíli’s less than stable condition.   
Gandalf had joined Kíli for a while and explained that it would be better for the dwarf to get away from the mountain, Also, Gandalf added, Fíli was worried about certain developments. While he did not elaborate, Kíli understood that he meant his relationship or whatever it was with Tauriel. He knew that his brother didn’t mind but he was painfully aware of the dislike the other dwarfs displayed towards elves. It would do them no good to reason with them or explain their course of action. 

In the dark of the night, Kíli was restlessly waiting for Tauriel to return. When the tent door flapped open his heart filled with hope but it wasn’t whom he had been hoping to see. Instead of the elf his brother came in. They hadn’t spoken since Fíli had left the tent earlier that day, leaving a confused Kíli behind.   
“Here to say goodbye?” Kíli tried to mask the sadness in his voice with anger but he failed miserably. His brother helped him into a sitting position and pulled him into a gentle hug.   
“I’m sorry, Kíli”, he whispered, pressing a kiss to his brother’s forehead. “I will miss you terribly.”   
“And I you” the younger dwarf murmured into his brother’s shoulder.   
“When will I see you again?” he asked, hoping his brother would not deny him an answer. His hope sank however, as he felt his brother shrug his shoulders.   
“I can’t promise anything. But I can promise to visit you as soon as my duties allow it.” He sounded hollow to himself but he knew he had to do what was right.   
To his surprise his brother suddenly smiled.   
“He would have been proud of you. You’ll make a good King.”  
Fíli couldn’t quite help the tears finding their way into his eyes as he looked at his brother.   
“He would have been proud of you as well, little brother” he murmured. Kíli snorted.   
“Fíli, look at me. Wounded so bad my body won’t heal, utterly depended on others and about to run off with an elf.”   
Despite himself Fíli felt a laugh beginning to build in his throat and he let it out gladly.   
“Still… you fought bravely. Most people would have died from the wounds you suffered but here you are. Holding on.”  
Kíli grinned at his brother and clasped his hand. Fíli felt something glide into his palm and he recognized his brother’s rune stone.   
“You shouldn’t…”  
“No, I want you to remember your promise.”  
The brothers shared a smile and Fíli put the stone into the pocket right over his heart. He would do everything in his power to fulfil his promise, and nothing would keep him from helping his brother. 

Suddenly, a gush of wind entered the tent and Tauriel stepped in, carrying a pile of blankets in her arms. Fíli helped her drape them over his brother, making sure all the bandages were in the right places. Once he was satisfied, he hugged his brother once more, carefully avoiding the nasty wound in his abdomen.   
“Farewell” he whispered and before Kíli could say anything his brother stormed out of the tent and he was left alone, sitting on his bed with a heavy heart. 

Tauriel didn’t quite know how to comfort Kíli. Technically, she knew how he was feeling but she didn’t know how to express her regret for his situation. So she did the only thing she could think of and pressed her lips gently against his forehead.   
Kíli clearly enjoyed the sensation, as his fingers found their way into her hair and a smile replaced the sorrowful expression on his young face.   
After a short yet very painful walk from the bed to the door of the tent, Tauriel slipped out of the tent and checked if they were in deed alone. When she ware sure nobody was watching the tent, apart form maybe the hobbit, whose shape she could make out under a tree not too far away, she motioned for Kíli to follow her. Without a single word, she helped him into the small wagon she had bound behind her horse and cushioned with a couple of old blankets. Once Kíli was in a position that allowed his body to rest, she covered him with blankets as well. She had to admit that she was quite glad that he had not complained, as she knew he would have preferred to share the horse with her but his current condition simply didn’t allow it. 

“Rest, melamin“ she whispered, leaning down and pressing another soft kiss to his forehead. This time, however, he sneaked a hand into her neck and pulled her down before she could move away form him, resting her forehead against his.   
Brown eyes bored into green eyes.  
“Thank you”, he whispered, marvelling at the softness of her hair under her fingers and the warmth that seemed to flow from her body.   
For the first time since this morning, Kíli felt truly at peace. Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out for the better. 

The couple shot apart moments later, when a twig audible snapped close by. Tauriel’s hand moved to her daggers but her body relaxed when she recognized Fíli next to the hobbit. The two figures approached them and she beckoned them closer.   
“We must hurry”, she hissed, before kneeling down and giving both the hobbit and the dwarf a one armed hug. The small figures nodded and stepped away from the other two.   
“May the grace of the Valar protect you” she whispered and moved towards her horse.   
A silent goodbye seemed to pass between the brothers and with a light pressure of her legs Tauriel stirred her horse into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again :)  
> Thank you for reading!  
> I am not entirely satisfied with my explanation for Kíli's departure but it would take too many angsty chapters to fully explain everything. So, for the sake of fluff, I decided to ditch logic and get on with the story.   
> And yes, I know the lack of other dwarfs is weird but let's just say that they are all very busy and are pretty sure that their prince is dying if not already dead. Or maybe he had gone missing in battle. Whatever, they don't know about him.   
> Right. Next chapter- Rivendell!


	4. On the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first part of Kíli's and Tauriel`s journey (which is, admittedly, not very exciting) and Fíli's thoughts about his brother's situation.

On the Road 

The first two weeks of their journey to Rivendell were a dizzy haze to Kíli. Days and nights blurred together into a never-ending string of sleep, Tauriel redressing his wounds and forcing a bite of lembas and a few drops of water down his throat.   
After they had left the camp at the foot of the Lonely Mountain, he had fallen into a dreamless sleep, only waking a couple of times.   
Tauriel liked to remember one particular moment in which he had been awake and fully conscious, which didn’t happen often, as his fever had returned shortly after leaving Erebor. However, she had not noticed any signs of his condition developing to a worse level, despite the fever. She was incredibly glad about that.   
One of the few times he had been awake and clear enough to understand what was happening, Tauriel had explained that they were heading to Rivendell and that resting would be the only thing he could do for now.   
Kíli had nodded, taken a look at the stars and had given her a fond and very honest smile. “Not half as beautiful as you…” he had whispered and, extending an unsteady had to her cheek, he had continued “… and still further away.” His expression changed form fond to very pleased, dreamy even and she could help the smile tugging at her lips. For a brief moment she leaned into his touch, allowing herself to forget about the way that lay before them.   
It is a curious thing, she mused, how warm and protected he could make her feel, even though he wasn’t even in a condition to protect himself. She had pressed her lips to his palm softly and his eyes fluttered shut, the joyous expression staying on his face.   
Tauriel gave a wistful sight. She would have given all the gold in Erebor for Kíli to be whole and healthy again. Despite having spent less than a couple of days with him in, she missed his bubbly personality; his reckless nature and the sparkle in his eyes.   
And, who was she kidding, she longed for him to kiss her again. She sounded ridiculous, even in her own head, but she couldn’t help feeling like a silly 300 year old who was living through her first crush.   
Shaking the thought from her mind she mounted her horse again and they continued their journey.   
They had to rely on luck, hoping against hope that they would reach their destination without major disruptions. So far, they had been lucky and Tauriel couldn’t thank the gods enough. While she was sure she would have been able to take on a couple of orcs or goblins she knew she couldn’t do much against larger groups. Not with the injured dwarf in her company. And, she had to admit that her strength was fading. She hadn’t slept or rested in days and wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep the pace up. 

 

*** Meanwhile in Erebor*** 

 

Fíli still couldn’t believe that his brother had left Erebor. Or rather, that he himself had forced his brother to leave. While he felt incredibly guilty whenever remembering the hurt look on Kíli’s face, he knew that it had been for the better.   
A day after his younger brother and Tauriel had left, a group of orcs had shown up with a fairly idiotic death wish. Thankfully, nobody had been seriously wounded and the orcs had been dealt with rather swiftly. Since then nothing had bothered the people currently camping out at the foot of the Lonely Mountain.   
Yet, a shiver ran down Fíli’s spine every time he saw one of the dwarfs of the company. During Kíli’s stay in their private tent none of them had been allowed inside, as Gandalf and Fíli both claimed that it would probably upset the younger dwarf, whose condition was bad enough already. Nobody questioned that decision, having faith in both, the wizard’s and their king’s power of judgement. Apart form that, most of them had been busy helping others or nursing their own wounds, as none of them had managed to escape the battle without a scratch.   
But once the day of the coronation had arrived, far too soon as Fíli thought, Balin had taken him to the side and asked him about his brother’s well-being. 

“Fíli, lad, where is your brother?”  
Fíli didn’t know how to answer that question. He was torn between telling the older dwarf the entire story and just giving vital information.   
“He is not well, Balin.”  
Sympathy was evident in Balin’s expression, yet a doubt had woken.   
“But shouldn’t he be given the choice to attend your coronation, my king?”  
Fíli pressed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose.   
“I am no king yet.”  
Balin bowed his head and answered with a smile. “Ah, Fíli, you must get used to that. Now, about your brother. I am sure Gandalf will allow him to come, if you ask.”  
Fíli felt his resistance ebbing away. If he couldn’t trust his own advisor whom else was he supposed to trust?  
“The truth is… I sent him away. Gandalf and the elves agreed that there is nothing they can do for him.”  
If Balin was shocked or surprised at this he hid it well.   
“And where, may I ask, is he going?”  
Fíli winced. He knew that the older dwarf was more understanding then most of their race but that didn’t mean he’d be overly happy to hear about Rivendell.  
“I have sent him to Rivendell. Tauriel is escorting him.”  
He knew that escorting was an optimistic expression as he was very well aware of the fact that his brother wasn’t in any state to even pretend to be in need of an escort. He needed somebody to take care of him, to defend him. And Fíli was sure the she-elf was more than sufficient for this task, which didn’t mean he had to like the idea, though.   
Balin gave him a worried glace, his opinion on elves clearly showing on his face.   
“Are you sure this is the right thing to do, laddie?” he asked, putting a comforting hand on Fíli’s shoulder, for he saw how much the conversation was troubling the young king.   
Fíli huffed.  
“If there’d been another option I wouldn’t have allowed this.”  
He was still avoiding telling Balin more details about Kíli’s condition, his company or the journey but he assumed that it wouldn’t help to brighten the mood, so he decided to let it slip or waiting for Gandalf to settle the matter. In fact, that was exactly what he should have done in the first place. The wizard had, after all, told him that he’d deal with it.   
Balin gave his shoulder another pat, accepting that he wouldn’t get any more information on Kíli’s whereabouts.   
Together they made their way towards the tent that had been erected on the fields for the occasion. Fíli was sure he would feel forever uncomfortable about his new position and was incredibly glad once the ceremony was over. Never in his life had he felt so alone. All attention was on him and he would have loved to have his brother and his uncle by his side, but fate had not been kind enough to allow it.   
A couple of days later, he found himself bidding farewell to Gandalf and Bilbo, ensuring, that both of them would be welcome at Erebor at anytime, adding that they would in deed have a splendid feast for their reunion, should the hobbit ever feel like returning to the Lonely Mountain.   
Bilbo gladly accepted the invitation, promising that he’d never forget his friends far away form the Shire and, in turn, invited Fíli and the company to visit Bag End whenever they had business close by or were in need of a change of scenery as he put it.   
With a lot of handshaking and back patting, the wizard and the hobbit finally mounted their horses, or pony, in Bilbo’s case, and started their journey home.   
Bilbo had refused to take more of the treasure than a small case of silver and a small case of gold. Still, Fíli had insisted for him to keep the Mithril armor that Thorin had given him such a long time ago.   
The friends parted and once again Fíli was sad to see people who were so dear to him go.   
When the two figures entered Mirkwood, Fíli turned and made his way back to his tent. There were many things on his mind and it was time that he started organizing troops to rebuilt Erebor, Laketown and the City of Dale. He knew that later, when both cities had grown, Esgaroth would need his attention but for now, he was content with sending gold to the cities of men in order to help them rebuild their homes. 

His brother’s rune stone was heavy in his pocket but while the weight saddened him, it gave him comfort as well.   
The next time he would see him, Kíli would be healed. He had to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this! I know, all those descriptions and thoughts are not always interesting but things will change once we move into lighter territory :)  
> Next chapter will probably be up by the end of the weekend as I'm visiting a friend and won't have much time to write. Curious where this is going? Kíli and Tauriel get company.


	5. A well-deserved break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tauriel finally gives in and takes a break, Kíli wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mini-update for you lovely people! I've been away during the weekend and didn't have much time to write. However, I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. So, enjoy, and please do leave a comment, they make me very happy! :D

A well-deserved break 

 

After another week on the road Tauriel allowed herself a proper break. She found a hidden spot near a small stream and opted for fishing, as there was no way she’d leave Kíli alone, even if it meant fish for dinner. She’d never been a fan but it was preferable to another meagre supper of lembas.   
As the daylight hadn’t faded yet she decided to take a bath in the brook as she was in desperate need of one. Ridding herself of her armour, her thoughts wandered to the sleeping dwarf. These past few days his sleep hadn’t been as restless as before and some colour had returned to his face. And while his wound still refused to close he hadn’t caught an infection either, as Tauriel was glad to notice. While things didn’t exactly look any better they didn’t look worse either, and that was, she thought, a small victory on its own.   
Slipping her tunic over hear head she wondered what Kíli would have to say about this, had he been awake. Something inappropriate, she thought. Probably something about not even having to ask. She grinned. 

A faint groan made her freeze in her movement. Glad she was still in her under tunic she turned around and made the short way back to the card. She could barely control the snort that was threatening to escape her. Much to her amusement Kíli had chosen that exact moment to wake form his peaceful slumber. She was by his side in the blink of an eye, just in time to help him sit up and rearrange the blankets.   
“How are you?” she asked, kneeling next to his head, handing him a water skin. He gave a tired smile and took a gulp.   
“Better”, he answered with a careful smile.   
“Good”, she smiled, reminding herself of his ever present wound. Sometimes it was too tempting to forget about it. His brows furrowed.  
“And how should I be feeling?” he asked in return, a part of him dreading the answer.   
“Your condition is stable.”  
“That’s a relief!” Kíli commented but when Tauriel didn’t share the smile with him, his dropped again.   
“…but?”  
She looked apologetic and he could see both, pity and worry on her face when she answered.  
“But your wound is still not healing.”  
Kíli wasn’t sure how to react to the news. He had hoped that all the resting would do him some good but apparently his body was as stubborn as his mind could be.   
“Hm, guess I’m stuck ‘ere then”, he finally said and flashed her a cheeky smile, folding his hands in his lap.   
When she got up, Tauriel hesitated for a moment before slowly leaning in, gently nuzzling the hair above his ear, inhaling his smell. For some reason it calmed her and made her feel at ease. Also, it send an unfamiliar flutter into her belly. She felt Kíli leaning in and for a moment she allowed herself to relish in the proximity.   
After a while, Kíli cleared his throat and turned slightly so their foreheads were touching.  
“How can I ever repay you?”, he wondered out loud, hoping she wouldn’t catch the pained wince that flashed over his face. For once, he was lucky.   
Tauriel opened her eyes and pulled away a little in order to make sure he’d see her face when she spoke.  
“By staying alive”, she answered. There were plenty of other things she would have liked to say but they could wait till later. Oh, she had a very good idea about how he could thank her. Preferably every single day of their life.   
The grin was back, she noted with delight, and he nodded.   
“I’ll do my best, my lady”. While he was wearing a teasing smile, his eyes betrayed the sincerity that lay behind his words and she acknowledged them with a smile of her own.   
“I should hope so!” she said, finally giving in to the ridiculous pull she was feeling towards him.   
Yet, mere seconds before their lips connected, a horse whinnied close by and Tauriel shot up from Kíli’s side in alarm, taking two long steps to her bow. Before Kíli had fully realized what was happening Tauriel had an arrow notched and was waiting for the voices following the whinny to draw even closer.  
Once Kíli’s mind had caught up with the situation he fingered desperately for one of Fíli’s throwing knives he had nicked from his brother before he and Tauriel had left Erebor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo. What do you think? Like it? Weirded out? Not sure how you feel? Things are about to change for our traveling couple...


	6. A Promise in the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! :)

A Promise in the Night 

 

The air was tense around them. Kíli was staring into the direction the noises had come form and Tauriel looked ready to kill. It wouldn’t have surprised Kíli if they’d be ambushed by orcs now, because as far as he knew, their journey had been untroubled so up to this point. He desperately tried to make out the voices again but failed to hear something. Who ever was approaching them must have notices the travellers as well.

Without a warning, two figures came bursting through the thicket, weapons raised and ready to attack.

With palpable relief Kíli recognized the hobbit’s curly head next to the very telling grey cloak of Gandalf. Tauriel didn’t move, though, still pointing her arrow at the new arrivals.

“You should know better than to sneak up on an elf”, she scolded and only when Gandalf gave her a soft smile and murmured his apologies she let bow and arrow down slowly.

“I’m glad you found us”, she admitted, more to herself than to the others but she had no reason not to be glad. For once, she could rest and it would certainly be beneficial to travel in the company of a wizard.

With the help of the others they set up a little camp, including a fire and a shelter against the wind. While the nights weren’t particularly cold the wind had been a bit of a bother and now that they could afford the luxury of resting it seemed only logical to make the camp as cosy as possible.

 

While Tauriel wandered down the stream a little in order to take her bath and escape the eyes of her companions, she was quite sure that Kíli was the slightest bit disappointed about her leaving him behind. He had seemed oddly hopeful when he’d understood that she had been about to take a bath. The look on his face had made her giggle, despite herself. And if she was completely honest with herself she wouldn’t have minded all that much if she had had to stay in sight. Shaking her head she stepped into the cold water and proceeded to wash herself. Despite the cold it was quite relaxing and she could finally stop thinking about the path that lay ahead.

Quite unbidden her thoughts went back to the dwarf waiting for her return and she found herself slightly annoyed at the unfortunate timing that Gandalf and Bilbo had had.

 

Meanwhile, Gandalf and Bilbo focussed on the task of preparing dinner. Thankfully, they had brought a lot of supplies form Erebor and as they did not have to think about travelling fast or mostly unseen it hadn’t been a problem for them to take another pony with them, carrying some food and water supplies.

While Bilbo was stirring something that smelled very promising, Gandalf busied himself with redressing Kíli’s wounds.

The young dwarf endured the procedure without a word and while Gandalf expressed his concern about the lack of healing, he pointed out, as Tauriel had before, that it could actually be worse and that he was, apparently, lucky not to have caught an infection. Once Gandalf was satisfied with his inspection and had applied some pasture that was supposed to keep the wounds clean, Kíli was finally allowed to ask questions.

“How is my brother, Gandalf?”

It was the one thing that had been burning on his mind ever since the other two and joined them. Gandalf smiled at him.

“Quite well, I would imagine, if a little overwhelmed with his new tasks.” A smile tugged at Kíli’s lips and a tension seemed to leave his body.

“I am very glad to hear that!” Kíli exclaimed. Knowing his brother was safe and well did not come to a surprise to Kíli, yet it was good to hear somebody confirm it.

“And how have you been yourself, Kíli?” Gandalf asked, a knowing twinkle in his eyes. Suddenly, Kíli was quite glad that Gandalf was the only one paying him any attention because he was sure a very embarrassing blush was forming on his cheeks. He really needed to get this under control he though, clearing his throat.

“Okay, I guess. Given the circumstances… ”, he answered, pointedly avoiding the wizard’s gaze as he was aware of his ability to look right through him. Gandalf gave a non-committal hum and got up.

 

Supper was a merry affair. Tauriel and Gandalf had helped Kíli into a sitting position and he was enjoying the change of position immensely. For once, he was almost as tall as everyone else, apart form the hobbit, of course and that meant that he could almost lean against Tauriel’s side, if he wanted to. And he really did want to but of course, there were other people present and he wasn’t sure if she’d appreciate the action. Still, when he couldn’t properly hold the wooded bowl of stew Bilbo pressed into his hand, he was more than happy to let her feed him, even if it earned him a raised eyebrow from both, the wizard and the hobbit.

The dwarf knew he should have been ashamed of himself but he really couldn’t care less. The weird little wounds all over his arms didn’t like being moved as the skin on his arms was still very tender and his hand was a bit shaky. In his head he could practically hear his uncle shouting abuse at him for letting himself be fed by a “dirty elf”. Oh yes, Thorin would have been beyond angry with his nephew but while Kíli had admired is uncle with undying loyalty, this particular opinion was not something he could or would ever share.

 

Bilbo watched the odd couple with barely concealed amazement. He knew that Kíli and the she-elf had gotten along quite well but he had never expected such tenderness between them. While she was feeding him spoon after spoon of stew, Kíli seemed oddly focussed on her movements and could obviously not keep the ridiculously happy little smile off his face. Bilbo found himself blushing a little, for he felt like he was intruding on a very intimate moment. He hurriedly began a conversation about pipe weed with Gandalf and found that the wizard joined in very enthusiastically. Soon, Tauriel and Kíli joined their conversation as well, and they spent a while chattering about their journey and their adventures of the past.

 

That night Gandalf and Bilbo took the first and second watch, allowing Tauriel to catch up on some desperately needed sleep. Yet, once the hobbit gently shook her awake she couldn’t focus on her task. Her mind kept wandering to Kíli. He was sleeping with his face turned to the fire and she was sure he was dreaming something because his face was pulled into a grimace of pain. Slowly, she got up and made her way towards him, settling down beside his head. Carefully, she reached for his shoulder and the instant his hand connected with his body, he seemed to relax. It made her wonder if maybe, just maybe, their feelings were meant to be. She didn’t know if it was normal that the touched of a loved one helped to relax, even in deep slumber but she liked it. She liked being able to touch Kíli without causing rising eyebrows or harsh whispers. Absentmindedly she began stroking his shoulder very lightly with her thumb and her gaze wandered to the stars above her. The night was quite and very peaceful and the light of the stars shone upon them with a pure and gently light. 

 

When Gandalf woke to the early rays of sunshine he was mildly surprised to find the elf passed out and curled around Kíli. He had suspected that she was more exhausted than she had led on but the sight in front of him was more surprising than anything he had seen in a while. He was aware of the shy love that was growing between the elven warrior and the dwarf prince but he hadn’t expected a display of these affections. Thorin wouldn’t have liked this, Gandalf mused but he was sure that the deceased dwarf king’s nephew would have been stubborn enough to go against his uncle for this. Well, knowing Kíli he would probably go against the entire dwarven kingdom if it meant getting what he wanted.

Soon after the sun had climbed the sky fully, they packed their belongings and mounted their horses. Kíli and Tauriel were both trying not to sneak glances at each other but to Gandalf’s amusement they both failed miserably. Maybe he should have felt a little bad about this but he though even an old wizard like him should be allowed a bit of humour. And the shade of red both the dwarf and the elf had went when he had called for them to wake up was, quite frankly, hilarious.

 

Tauriel made sure that Kíli was safely tucked into the blankets before leaning down quickly and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. The moment was over far to soon but the bright smile stayed on Kíli’s face for hours, until he couldn’t fight off his never-ending exhaustion and fell asleep.

The rest of their journey continued much the same, but Tauriel was careful not to fall asleep curled around the dwarf again. Yet, a night before they finally arrived in Rivendell, she was lucky enough to find that Kíli was still awake when she began her watch.

 

“Tauriel”, a familiar voice whispered in the quite night and the elf felt the now familiar smile coming to her face. It still fascinated her that her name on his lips made her feel that way. He said it like it was a precious and very dear thing to him and the adoration that usually shone in his eyes when he looked at her became audible. She was no fool, it had been very obvious to her a long while ago but it felt good to be able to acknowledge it.

“Yes, a'maelamin“.

“Are you ever going to tell me what that means?” he asked her softly. His voice wasn’t as rough as it usually was and she found herself going a little weak in her knees as it caressed her ears. It felt like he was reaching out to her heart.

“Maybe, one day” she answered. Kíli grinned at her.

“I can wait. I can be very patient!” Tauriel chuckled. He didn’t strike her as the patient type, not after all they had been through but she was sure he wouldn’t stop bothering her about it till she gave in. He may not be as patient as he thought he was but he was certainly stubborn enough.

Making sure that both, Gandalf and the hobbit were fast asleep, Tauriel sat down beside Kíli once again, wistfully remembering the first night Gandalf and Bilbo had joined them. Sleeping next to her dwarf had been surprisingly good. She knew that almost every single person in Middle Earth would have considered it inappropriate but in the end, it didn’t matter.   
Kíli looked at her with wonder in his eyes and tried to sit up by himself but again, he needed some help. Tauriel positioned herself at his head and slowly pulled him into a sitting position so his back was leaning against her front. It was easy, holding him like that. Carefully avoiding his bandages she placed her arms around his torso and her head on his shoulder. While she was of course still attentive for their surroundings it was undeniably the best feeling she had ever experienced. Feeling Kíli’s chest moving with every breath he took was reassuring.

“What will happen once we reach Rivendell?” Kíli finally asked. She noticed the worried tone in his voice and she wasn’t quite sure how to give him comfort. They couldn’t carry on like this, not in Rivendell. But she decided to try and avoid the subject as long as she could.

“Lord Elrond will heal you, you’ll go to the Shire for a while… become whole again”, she murmured against his hair.

Kíli turned in her arms despite the pain he was causing himself. With a slight panic he searched for her eyes.

“That’s not… Tauriel, I…” he gave up with a hopeless shrug of his shoulders. It pained her to see him so hopeless and she longed for the look to go away.

“Do you remember what you asked me in Lake Town?” she asked, her heart pounding in her chest like a horse fleeing from battle. She saw him swallow hard. Kíli gave her a curd nod.

“I told you that I do not wish to forget about that.” Kíli remembered her words with the same clarity he remembered his brother’s face.

“I need you to remember that while we are in Rivendell.” To her relief he seemed to understand what she was implying. There was no more room for stolen glances or lingering touches. While Elrond might be a little less harsh in his judgements than others he was still an elf and they both knew that their love was of an unlikely nature.

Kíli reached out for her face and she willingly let him pull her towards him.

“I will, I promise”, he murmured against her lips before they finally met hers in a sweet and gentle kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always - I do appreciate feedback! Also, I'd like to apologize for my Gandalf, I don't like how I wrote him but for some reason I just can't get him right. Well, and there's the issue of romance. Do you think I get it? I've never really written anything fluffy before so this is quite the challenge for me :) Again, I appreciate feedback!


	7. Arrival in Rivendell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our party arrives in Rivendell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait! For some reason it took me forever to start writing this chapter but now it's here and I hope the next one will follow in a couple of days. Till then enjoy reading and don't forget to comment :)

Chapter 7: Arrival in Rivendell 

A strong wind and gigantic clouds, which promised rain, overshadowed the next morning when the group of four packed up their camp and prepared for departure. The first drops of rain began to fall once they started moving and Tauriel was less than pleased about the weather. First of all, she hated when the rain made her hair cling to her entire body and secondly, she was worried that Kíli might catch something after all. While he was stronger than when they first started their journey towards Rivendell his body was still weak and would probably not be strong enough to fight off a cold or another fever. Hence her relief when Gandalf reassured all of them that they should be reaching Rivendell sooner rather than later. 

As the day drew on the rain showed no signs of stopping and even the hobbit who usually put on a brave face failed to display his usual smile. In fact, he had started grumbling about useless wizards and handkerchiefs. Tauriel didn’t quite understand the connection but Gandalf’s huffed responses made her think that something quite similar had probably occurred at journey’s beginning.   
Tauriel was lost in her own thoughts when a terrible cough pulled her back to reality. With impressive speed she turned her head, just to see Kíli’s form shaking in violent attack of coughs. Knowing she couldn’t do anything for the dwarf she sped up her horse, wishing for their journey to end. Before she had finished the thought, however, a horn sounded from the formation of trees, drawing her attention to the faint outlines of people she could make out in the distance.   
“Was that an elven horn?” Bilbo asked, a sneeze following his question.   
“The elves are growing more careful. They are watching their borders more closely”, the wizard answered.  
Tauriel didn’t pay them much attention and spurred her horse to a gallop; she knew the others would follow close behind her. The promise of warmth and shelter was beckoning and she was growing worried for Kíli.   
Moments later she was met by a patrol, the banner of Rivendell fluttering in the rough wind.   
“We have been send out to look for you.” the dark haired elf who seemed to be in command said. Tauriel was surprised but thought it better not to say as much, she suspected that Gandalf had send word to the elves in Rivendell that they were on their way, hoping to find shelter in the last homely house.   
“You have my gratitude,” she answered with a polite bow of her head.   
“Ah, Elladan, I am glad to see you” the wizard spoke.   
Suddenly Tauriel knew why the elf had looked familiar. About 200 years ago Elrond had visited the Woodland Realm with his sons and while Thanduril had not considered Tauriel a worthy companion for any of them she remembered seeing them at a shooting practice with Legolas. The distress she had felt back then had been forgotten but Thanduril’s words still stung when she brought them back to her mind. She had never been good enough. He let her know that he though highly of her, that she was good, yet, she was never and would never be good enough. This small memory was enough to remind her why she had chosen this life, why she had allowed her heart to be taken by a dwarf and why she had, quite willingly, left her people behind.   
“Mithrandir. You are travelling in … unexpected company.” Elladan answered the wizard’s greeting and Tauriel wasn’t sure if the elf is merely surprised or slightly disgruntled. They were probably a rather interesting sight! A wizard, a hobbit, an elf and a dwarf, travelling together. The smile Gandalf gave Elladan and his companions was genuine and he answered with a twinkle in his eyes.  
“My dear Elladan, I find surprising company the most enchanting one!”  
“I am very sure of that” the elf said and this time Tauriel saw the slight upwards movement his eyebrows made. Yet, he was quite successfully concealing his thoughts on the matter.   
“Tell me, how are you connected? You must have come straight from the Battle of Five Armies.” So Gandalf had in deed send word of their coming.   
“Speaking the truth, as ever. Why don’t we accompany you to your home and I will retell our story on the way?”   
This came as a relief to Tauriel, as she was not quite patient enough to discuss the matter of Gandalf’s traveling companions in such detail. Not with the soaking wet clothes clinging to her body and the Kíli’s breathing slowly changing from normal to rattling. 

*** 

Kíli didn’t know how or when they arrived in Rivendell and was completely unaware of his surroundings. In fact, it took him a while to understand that he wasn’t dreaming and only the presence of Bilbo stopped him from assuming his demise.   
“Where am I?” he croaked, alerting the hobbit to his awakening. While he didn’t register the smile on the other’s face he certainly heard in in his voice.   
“Kíli! We’re in Rivendell, Master Elrond took us in.”   
Satisfied with the answer Kíli moved on to more important questions.  
“Where’s…?” He needed to know where Tauriel was, if she was still here but Bilbo clearly didn’t understand the implication.   
“Where’s who?” he asked, puzzled. When he noticed to light blush on the dwarf prince’s face realization dawned on him.  
“Ah… Tauriel is with Elrond. I’m sure they will all be glad to hear you are awake!” The exclamation was followed by a hurried excuse and before Kíli knew what was happening, the hobbit was leaving the room, promising to return with the others. 

Kíli felt utterly helpless in the large bed. Again, he was the one who was wounded and couldn’t move, again people were anxious about his health and again he was lying around like real, good for nothing clod. He hated not being able the help or to wander around freely but thanks to those thrice damned wounds there was nothing he could do about it. Just waiting and resting and resting and waiting. He was growing weary of it.   
And there was the matter of Tauriel. He longed for some shared privacy with her. They had briefly spoken about their relationship but he wanted to see her, to reassure himself that she was really there, that she was willing to stay, for he still failed to understand how such a unique, fierce and splendid being could be interested in him, a reckless, wounded, young and still painfully beardless dwarf. Yes, he decided, once they were allowed a moment alone he would tell her how much he appreciated her. And, given some time, he would gladly show her.   
Smiling to himself he waited for some company, pushing the thought of his wounds from his mind. He was aware that Elrond would likely ask questions and perform whatever healing rituals may help him and it wasn’t exactly something he was looking forward to. He certainly didn’t want to see the big, ugly flesh wound that was still decorating his torso.   
Well, and he missed his brother. Deciding this was another thought to be pushed away for now, he started examining the ceiling. It was quite pretty, he thought, considering it was elves who build it. 

***

Tauriel was gazing at one of the many waterfalls that could be found in Rivendell. It was suppose to be peaceful and calming but she didn’t feel the effects it seemed to have on everyone else. After weeks on the road and in battle it was strange to be able to rest without having to fear angry dwarfs or orcs or other things. She knew she was thinking about angry elves too but preferred not to dwell on the though too much. 

“You are far away from the Woodland Realm”. Elrond’s voice interrupted her thoughts and a little flame of dread raised its head in her belly. She had been expecting a conversation like this the moment the Lord of Rivendell had invited them into his home without questioning their arrival or condition a day ago.   
“No choice was given to me, Lord Elrond”, she replied politely, still watching the waterfall and refusing to meet his eyes.   
“And yet I think you would not be elsewhere if you had been offered a choice” he said. It wasn’t a question, merely a statement and Tauriel wasn’t sure if he expected an explanation. She hoped not but she suspected he didn’t need one.   
“Yes, my Lord”, she finally answered, bracing herself for whatever speech about morals, heritage and race was about to come.   
“And what, Tauriel of Mirkwood, has set your fate?”  
His voice wasn’t unfriendly or prying but Tauriel felt an uncomfortable warmth rising in her cheeks. It seemed impossible to hide anything from the older elf. She hadn’t even asked about Kíli when she first saw the elf after he had disappeared into the room the dwarf was currently occupying and she had been certain that she hadn’t done anything reckless or telling.   
“I believe…” she couldn’t say it. She couldn’t walk around and proclaim feelings to others she hadn’t even shared with the one they concerned.   
“Ah.” Elrond said. “It is the dwarf in our care, is it not?”   
Tauriel cleared her throat and became suddenly very interested in her surroundings. Quite obviously there wasn’t a way out of this, whether she liked it or not, so she settled for a barely visible nod.   
“A surprising fate to chose” Elrond mused, choosing not to comment on whatever her nod was implying or not and Tauriel was fairly glad. Fast footsteps made both elves turn round before they could continue their rather one-sided conversation and to Tauriel’s relief the Halfling was approaching them with hasty strides. 

“He is awake, Tauriel!” he exclaimed and upon registering the other elf he added “Lord Elrond” with a small bow. Tauriel saw the corner of Elrond’s mouth lifting the tiniest fraction and felt the weight of their talk disappearing from his shoulders. Bilbo seemed to wait for them quite impatiently and soon they were making their way to the chamber. However, before Tauriel could follow the hobbit Elrond held her back.   
“It is … unheard of” he started and Tauriel was beginning to feel annoyed “yet, I believe the Valar may have brought you together for a reason.”   
Well, that was a pleasant surprise, the elf thought, momentarily speechless. Feeling a little lighter than before she followed the others into the room and couldn’t help the smile creeping onto her face when she saw Kíli sitting upright in his bed. It was way too large for him and he looked even smaller than he was. Yet, the sparkle in his eyes had returned and a happy smile wormed its way onto his face when he saw who was coming through the door.


	8. There is a way

Chapter 8: There is a way 

“Welcome back, Master Kíli” Elrond greeted the young dwarf. Kíli grinned at him, not knowing how to respond. He wasn’t quire sure how pleased the elf was to see him of all people, after the ruckus he and his kin had caused during their last visit.   
“Thank you, Lord Elrond” was finally the answer he settled for.  
“How are you feeling today?” Tauriel asked before Elrond could ask anything similar and Kíli’s eyes flickered from the male elf to the redhead. He knew he should try not to let his face show anything but he couldn’t help his voice going softer when he addressed her.  
“Rested, I suppose. Not much has changed, has it?” he asked, again shifting his gaze from one elf to the other, but not before offering a small smile to Tauriel.   
“Indeed, Kíli. Your condition is much the same as it was when you arrived here yesterday, though my healers have given you something against the fever and the pain. I have been counselling with the oldest and wisest healers among my kin and we may be able to heal you.”  
Upon hearing these words, Kíli felt a weight lifting form his shoulders and his smile widened.   
“I am very glad to hear that!” he exclaimed happily, yet the serious face the elf was still wearing subdued his mood a little.  
“You have been very lucky” Elrond explained. “There is a light in you that made it impossible for the darkness to claim you.”  
Elrond noticed the way Kíli’s focus shifted back to the she-elf next to him, confirming his suspicions about the old wound he had seen on the dwarf’s leg. Yet, he looked at Tauriel expectantly, waiting for a short explanation.   
“He was hit by a Morgul arrow before I joined the dwarfs. I healed him in Laketown and the wound was almost completely healed when battle came upon us” she assured Elrond and he seemed satisfied with her words.   
“Well, as I have said, you have been very lucky for the wounds you gained in battle should by all means have killed you, and would have killed you, had it not been for …” he waved his hand in the general direction of Tauriel. To his amusement, both, the elf and the dwarf seemed surprised at his words and he assumed that neither of them had given their connection much thought, which, given the circumstances, was not that unexpected.   
“So… about the wounds…” Kíli finally said, even though he was not particularly keen on hearing what Elrond had to say as they were a topic he preferred to avoid. Elrond’s face grew serious and his eyes bore into Kíli’s.   
“Your wounds are grievous but I have read about an old method for healing wounds of such a nature. It is called healing fire and while it is still considered to be effective it is not used anymore, at least not often. It is a very painful process.”  
Kíli saw the worry on Tauriel’s face and didn’t know how to feel about this. While he was quite glad that Elrond had offered his help and had apparently succeeded in finding a way to end his suffering, the healing fire did indeed sound quite painful. The dwarf had no idea what it was or what it did but he assumed that setting fire to parts of his body was going to be part of the process and he was definitely sure how he felt about that! While dwarfs were a little more resistant to heath than other races, he did not think that this fire the elf spoke about was to be taken lightly. He must have had a confused look on his face because before he could ask any questions, Elrond launched into an explanation about healing pastes, creams, oils and fire. It made Kíli’s head spin and he desperately wanted Tauriel to come closer as he longed for a reassuring touch, a gently smile.   
“Your treatment shall begin tomorrow, as it is deemed important to have eaten healthily for a day and we don’t know how the fire will affect your body.”  
Kíli straightened his back in alarm. “What does that mean?” he asked, unable to help the slight panic in his voice.  
Elrond have him a gentle smile. “The treatment has never been carried out on a dwarf but I believe it will eventually heal you.”  
Kíli swallowed hard. “Okay” he murmured, accepting his fate, knowing that, in truth, he did not have another option.   
The elf instructed him to make sure he ate enough and told Tauriel to remind the healers to check on the wounds before nightfall, as they might need redressing again, then he left the room. A heavy silence followed his departure, broken by Bilbo’s cough.   
“I’ll try to find some food, shall I?” he offered and before anyone could reply, he was out of the room.   
The moment the room was empty apart form Kíli and Tauriel, the elf flew to his side.  
Tauriel had not been aware of how anxious she was for his well-being until the moment Elrond had explained the complicated procedure. Of course she had been worried but knowing that this was their last resort and that it had never been used on a dwarf made her worry grow.   
Kíli motioned for her to sit down next to him and she willingly obeyed, reaching for his hand. His warm touch made her relax a little and despite all the emotions that were raging though her body, most prominent fear, relief and love, she couldn’t bring herself to say something.   
“How are you, Tauriel?”, the dwarf asked her and once again she found herself surprised at his gentle tone.   
“I am relieved and well-rested” she answered, accidentally slipping into a more formal tone. She wasn’t used to people actually caring about her.   
“Elrond knows”, she added as an afterthought.   
“I’m sorry” Kíli said. The uncertainty in his voice made her smile and shake her head.  
“No, no. There’s no reason to be,” she whispered, squeezing his hand. “He just knew. I don’t know how but he must have anticipated our connection and guessed why I am here… what made me stay.”   
There was a buzzing tension in the room and Tauriel suddenly felt the need to tell him. She knew they shared a connection that run deeper than friendship or loyalty. Even though they hadn’t spent much time together, she could feel him in her soul, in her whole being. Finding such a connection was rare, she had been taught, and therefor she knew how precious and valuable it was and she was far beyond caring that her soul mate was not one of her own kin. She needed to say the words, make them real, make sure he knew she love him before it was too late. Apparently, Kíli had a similar idea, as he shifted a little closer to her.   
“And what did?” he whispered, his voice rough.   
“You” the elf whispered, her voice as rough as his. Suddenly, they were both moving forward, Kíli much slower than he would have liked to. His hands became tangled in her long read hair and she was desperately holding on to his dark locks when their lips met in a bruising kiss. The previous softness was gone and raw emotions were driving them, when Kíli deepened the kiss and their tongues became involved in a passionate battle, making it hard to breath.   
Kíli couldn’t quite comprehend how wonderful he felt, pain and fear forgotten, utterly absorbed in Tauriel. The feeling of her soft lips again his was heavenly and while he had appreciated their soft touches, this was much better, in a way, relief and pent up emotions mixing into the kiss. He tried to pure all his heart into it, willing her to understand how he felt.   
After a while breathing became difficult and Tauriel pulled back a little, pressing her forehead against his, both of them breathing hard.   
“I have been wanting to do this for a long time” he murmured against her lips, feeling her smile. A funny bubbly feeling settled in his belly when she answered with a breathy laugh and he couldn’t help but chuckle, too.   
Seizing the moment, Tauriel moved her lips closer to his again and, very softly, barely audible, she spoke.   
“I love you.”  
Kíli was a little embarrassed to feel tears of happiness burning in his eyes and before he could do more than make a surprised noise, her lips were back on his and he did not hesitate to participate in the kiss enthusiastically. This time he was the once breaking the kiss, choking out “As I love you, Tauriel”, before reattaching his lips to hers.   
Trying to shift into a more comfortable position he tried to move but before he achieved something a sharp pain made him pull away.   
Not yet in full control of her voice, Tauriel gave an unintentional frustrated little noise in the back of her throat but when she realized why Kíli had pulled away, she was moving away from him as fast as she could and, still trying to catch her breath, she carefully fingered the dressing on his wound.   
Everything seemed in order and the pain that had flashed over the dwarf’s face was already gone.   
“Careful” she said with a smile and he have her a cheeky grin, pulling her back down. 

***

Bilbo was on his way back to Kíli’s chamber with a tray of vegetable broth, bread, cheese, some fruits and a jug of water when he heard muffled voices coming from his destination. Trying not to eavesdrop, he desperately bumped into the little bench that was placed outside the chamber, hoping he’d alert Kíli and Tauriel to his return. Yet, when he entered the room with a terribly out of tune whistle, he had to admit he hadn’t fully succeeded as the elf and the dwarf where still speaking softly, apparently unaware of the world around them. Bilbo’s suspicion only grew. He was fairly certain that there was something going on between the elf and the dwarf, not matter how unlikely a couple they would make.   
“I found you a proper meal!” he exclaimed exuberantly, making the couple turn towards him with an alarming speed. The hobbit could have sworn he saw a faint blush on Kíli’s cheeks but it was gone before he could pay closer attention.  
“Ah, Master Burglar, you did a fantastic job there”, Kíli commented happily, as Bilbo set down the tray on a small table next to the bed.   
“It’s a pleasure to see you awake and in high spirits” Bilbo replied politely, not knowing whether he should leave again or make himself at home. While he is still considering his options, Kíli reached out for some fruits and before taking a bite, he offered them to Tauriel.  
Bilbo watched the elf decline, directing the dwarf’s hand to his own mouth and the hobbit finds himself shaking his head at Kíli’s stubborn charm.   
“I will…” Bilbo hesitated a moment before finishing his sentence “...leave you to it, then” he says, not waiting for a reply and quite glad to be out of the monstrously awkward atmosphere. Before he’s gone too far, he heard the clear laugh of Tauriel and the familiar low chuckle of Kíli echoing through the room and found himself smiling. Thorin Oakenshield would have had a lot to say about his nephew’s choice in companion and a part of Bilbo was quite sad the deceased dwarf would never get to lay eyes upon the couple. 

***

Further away, in a rather secluded area of Rivendell, Gandalf and Elrond were in the middle of a rather heated discussion about the dangers the wizard had knowingly sent the sick dwarf into.  
“Mithrandir, it was risky to bring the dwarf here,” Elrond repeated, a slight line having formed on his forehead.   
“With all due respect, Lord Elrond, it was the only way! He would have perished in his fathers’ halls and not even Thranduil’s finest healers could have helped him, let alone the dwarven healers.”  
The elf clearly wasn’t happy with the explanation.  
“Did he have a say in this? Did his kin have a say in this?” he inquired sharply. “I do not desire any dwarves marching on Imladris demanding their prince back!”   
“His brother agreed to this, the others are not… aware of his current location.”   
Elrond raised an eyebrow at the wizard.  
“As far as they are concerned he is as close to dying as he was before but has been taken away to grand him a better chance of recovery. The dwarves would not have allowed this course of action, they still regard the elves with suspicious eyes.”  
A sight left Elrond’s lips as he considered the length of this distrust between the two races.   
“Yet, the prince and the former captain of the guard seem determined to defy those prejudices” he mused and took Gandalf’s silence as agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :) Finally, things are getting started and soon we'll be moving away from Rivendell, yay! But before this, you're in for some majorhurt!Kíli and a good deal of elven healing powers.   
> As always I appreciate feedback, this time especially on my Kíli-Tauriel-interaction, as writing this kind of scene is still a bit new to me.


	9. Healing Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The healing begins...

Chapter 9: Healing Fire 

The next morning Kíli awoke to the soothing sound of low voices around him. Blinking into the bright daylight he carefully opened his eyes.  
“Ah, good morning, Kíli” Gandalf greeted from somewhere to his right. Kíli turned his head and saw Gandalf and Elrond standing at a table, at least he thought it was Elrond; it was still way too bright for his liking. On the table he could make out a number of differently shaped pots and jars.  
“Morning” he replied.  
A moment later an elf he had never seen before entered the room and thrust a cup of hot water at him. Judging from the smell there were some herbs in it he had never smelled or seen before and he wrinkled his nose when he lifted the cup to his lips. The smell certainly wasn’t pleasant.  
“What is this?” he asked wearily.  
The elf, obviously a healer, sent him a stern glare. “It is a potion that will help dull your senses”, he answered briskly before busying himself with the pots and jars on the table before noticing something was missing and leaving the room in a hurry. 

Half an hour later, Tauriel came in and Kíli tried to flash her a smile. Yet, thanks to the numbing potion he had taken, it was more of a grimace, which made Tauriel smile even more. To her delight they were the only two in the room, giving them a bit of privacy.  
“I came to wish you good luck, melamin”, she said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Before she could move away from him, his hand sneaked into the soft red hair covering her neck, pulling her a little further towards him. Wordlessly, he brushed his lips against her and tried to memorize the feeling. If the whole healing process was only half as painful as he feared it might be he needed every good memory he could find in the depth of his mind. Tauriel seemed to understand and willingly returned the kiss.  
It was over way too soon for either of their liking but they both knew that they wouldn’t be alone much longer and for once, fate was kind and they broke apart before Elrond and the elf from before entered the room.  
Kíli noticed the look of disgust on the other elf’s face and, just to annoy him a little, took his time removing his hand from Tauriel’s neck. She seemed to know what he was doing and despite their agreement to keep things secret she couldn’t help a smile forming on her lips.  
Yes, he was stubborn and reckless but he never failed to make her smile and that was among the things she cherished most about him. Still, with one last squeeze of his hand she straightened herself, gave a bow to Elrond and the healer and made her way out of the room. The dwarf’s gaze followed her with a longing expression.  
Without a word the elves started working on him, removing his bandages and applying a sharp-smelling ointment to his wounds. To Kíli’s immense relief nothing hurt so far, however, he couldn’t help sucking in his breath when the cold ointment touched his warm skin. His relief war short lived, however, as the moment Elrond and the healer began to sing strange enchantments, hands lingering above his bruised body, a sharp pain erupted from his very core. It felt like fire was slowly spreading through his veins and nothing, not even the happiest memory of Tauriel or his brother, could make him forget the unbearable heat surging through his body.  
At first, he tried to swallow his screams, but when he saw tiny flames starting to form in the big wound in his torso, he couldn’t help himself. A terrible scream ripped from his lungs and he felt cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. The fire was everywhere. It wasn’t gone from his veins, no, it had spread through his entire body and the flames were greedily licking at the wounded flesh.  
In a pain-induced haze he noticed how more elven healers entered the room, holding him down to his bed but the pain was too strong for him to move anyway. When he thought it couldn’t get any worse, one of the elves, he had long forgotten who was who, broke his focus in order to apply another paste to the burning wound.  
The scream that follow was beyond anything he had ever heard, let alone known. How wrong he had been to think that the little flames form before had been bad.  
Kíli desperately tried to think of Tauriel, yet, the pain was simply too much to bear. More screams found their way out of his throat and he was sure he was going to die, any moment now.  
The last thing he remembered before passing out from the pain was how he tried to fight the elves off when they made an attempt to apply more of the horrible ointment. He registered his own movements, withering in pain, his lungs burning like fire, more screams bursting from his throat. A brief image of Tauriel gasping in pain flashed before his eyes before his world went black and the pain was reduced to a numb pounding in his entire body. 

***

Outside the room a redheaded elf was anxiously pacing back and forth. Tauriel heard the screams of her beloved with a clarity that scared her. Never in her 600 years had she heard something as terrible and heart breaking as this. Kíli was strong, she tried to reassure herself, but a new pained outcry pushed the thought away from her mind. Every fibre of her being longed to be with him and she desperately tried to reach out to him. Yet, the only thing she could feel was his pain. Glaring, hot pain.  
Suddenly, Tauriel felt dizzy and forced herself to stagger away form Kíli’s room, trying to escape the pain, but it was mind numbing. Somehow, she made it to a little balcony overlooking the magnificent forest around Rivendell. She tried to focus on its green treetops and the roaring sound of the water, but she could still hear the screams. They were following her and she couldn’t escape.  
Without a warning, she lost focus of her surroundings and Kíli’s screams filled her head. Then she understood that she couldn’t actually hear him, but her soul was feeling the torment the dwarf was exposed to. Still fighting for consciousness, she sat down on a bench but it was no use. She felt dizzy with pain and hot flames were reaching for her. If that was only a shadow of what he was feeling she did not want to imagine the pain he was in. When she thought it couldn’t get any worse the pain increased once again and she felt a groan leaving her lips. A part of her was praying for Kíli to pass out from the pain. Nobody deserved to go such torture, least of all her foolhardy, ridiculously charming and utterly and surprisingly wonderful dwarf. The other part was trying to remain conscious while the pain she was feeling herself was slowly getting too much to bear.

Hours later, at least she assumed it was hours later as the sun had changed its position, she awoke on the stone floor, a very worried hobbit shaking her out of an uneasy sleep. Her dreams had been filled with hot, white fire and blood, so much blood dripping from huge gashes. It took her a moment to register her surroundings including the alarmed look on the hobbit’s face. Surprised she lifted a hand to her face, only to fine tears on her cheeks.  
Had she cried? What had happened?  
“Lady Tauriel, we have been looking for you!” the hobbit exclaimed. The elf tried to piece together what must have happened, as, from the looks of it, she had passed out earlier, only to be bothered by dreams of dying dwarves and burning trees.  
Tauriel closed her eyes in attempt to clear her head and the echo of gut-wrenching screams came back to her with intimidating strength.  
“Kíli!” she gasped, standing up a little too fast. She swayed on the spot for a moment till the hobbit reached out and placed his hand on her arm. The touch help her focus and the world stopped spinning.  
“The healers left him moments ago” Bilbo offered promptly, only to find himself dragged away from the balcony in the blink of an eye. Tauriel’s steps were still unsure but she was moving with an impressive determination.  
“I was looking for you. Nobody has seen you in hours!” Bilbo babbled, trying to keep up with the elf.  
“How is he?” she asked, not slowing down the slightest.  
“I am not sure, my dear”, he answered, not anticipating the elf’s reaction. Tauriel abruptly stopped moving and the hobbit bumped into her.  
“Apologies” he mumbled before the elf opened her mouth to speak.  
“What do you mean?” she asked, her face becoming a mask of indifference. Bilbo closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.  
“Elrond looked worried when he left, I’m not sure what that means” the hobbit explained. He felt quite sorry for the elf, as her pain broke through the mask she carefully tried to keep up. Not knowing what to do he patted her hand and took the lead.  
Just when the two were about to enter the room, Elrond and Gandalf came into vision. The sight of the elf seemed to force Tauriel back into her usual controlled self and she straightened up a little. With an impatient nod of her head she raised a questioning eyebrow at Elrond. The brief smile he gave her in return was less reassuring than she had hoped.  
“He is doing quite alright for now. The wounds are not fully healed yet but the fire has helped to close them. We cannot be certain how and if he is affected but we will know once he wakes up”.  
Tauriel felt tears burning in her eyes and she turned her head slightly in order to avoid catching the others attention. Swallowing hard she forced down the emotions that were wallowing up.  
“Thank you, Lord Elrond” she said before making a hesitant movement for the door. When Elrond made an inviting gesture she stepped into the room, hurrying to Kíli’s bed. 

The dwarf was pale, paler even than in Laketown, and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead but his chest was moving in a steady rhythm. This time, Tauriel couldn’t prevent the tears from falling and, hoping the others would grand her a moment alone with Kíli, she let them fall freely, silently sobbing into her hands.  
Once she had regained control of herself she carefully removed the light blanket that was covering the dwarf’s body and bit her lip when she saw the angry red burn marks around the wound. To her relief, however, the wound itself didn’t look as malicious as before and Elrond had been right when he had said it had started to close. After checking on the worst wound she moved on to the small ones that were covering his arms. She let out a shaky breath when she realized that they were closed. All that was left were tiny angry burn marks, as if the wounds had been burned out of the flesh. She assumed that they would leave scars all over his body but what were a couple of scares compared to being alive?  
Tauriel didn’t know how long she sat on the stool by Kíli’s side but at some point her own exhaustion caught up with her and she let go of his hand, folding her arms as close to his body as she dared. With a tired sight she let her head fall onto her arms and within seconds she was fast asleep.  
This time, her sleep wasn’t troubled by nightmares and when she woke up in the morning, it wasn’t because of daylight or somebody waking her up with an order or the reminder that there was still along way before them.  
No, Kíli had buried his hand in her hair and was gently massaging her neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you for reading! Secondly, yes, I know, still not leaving Rivendell but I just enjoy taking this slow ;) Plus, it makes for a softer storyline and more "little moments", if you know what I mean...  
> Feedback is, as always, greatly appreciated! And I am happy to say that the outline for chapter 10 is done and I'll be working on it tomorrow. Hopefully, I will finish it as well, because I'll be on the road and away from the internet for a week, starting on monday.  
> Anyway, updates will, at some point, happen and I hope you stick to my story ;)


	10. Always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More healing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is... a long awaited update. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 10: Always

At first, Kíli really hadn’t intended to wake the sleeping elf at his side and was merely admiring her hair, which was shining quite beautifully in the sunlight. But when he heard slowly approaching footsteps, his hand wandered form her head into her neck and, not knowing how to wake somebody relatively gently, he started to knead the place where her neck and her shoulders met. Oh, how he wished to continue his slow exploration of her body but he knew they’d soon be disturbed.  
Just when he called out her name softly, she began to stir he noted with quite an amount of relief.  
“Morning” he murmured, letting his hand glide from her waking form. Tauriel gave a soft noise of protest at the absence of warmth but when she raised her head and found him grinning at her, she smiled back.  
“How are you?” she asked, the memory of yesterday’s pain still fresh in mind.  
“I have been better” Kíli answered with a shrug and before she could ask anything else he added “someone’s coming.”  
Tauriel sat up in alarm, making sure to bring an appropriate distance between them – and just in time!  
The elf who entered the room didn’t seem very pleased with the presence of a dwarf in Rivendell if the look of barely hidden contempt on his face was anything to go by.  
“Tauriel, you have been missed at breakfast” he said, ignoring Kíli completely.  
“I…” Tauriel began but Kíli came to her defence before she could come up with an appropriate answer.  
“Tauriel has been so kind to check on my first and was about to find some breakfast to share with me.”  
While Kíli was sure that Tauriel relaxed a little when he answered the elf, the other’s features changed from contempt to a very obvious scowl. Clearly, they had finally found somebody who would gladly see the dwarf depart without being healed completely and who found the thought of even sharing a meal with a dwarf utterly disgusting. The elf’s stony features turned sourer when Tauriel nodded and got up. While she left to room to find something to eat the other elf came closer to Kíli. With no small amount of annoyance he began checking the wounds.  
Even though Kíli was a little amused at how the elf failed at hiding his feelings, he was glad that he didn’t prod and poke at his wounds with the same amount of distaste as, he assumed, that would have been terribly painful.  
When the elf was done, he finally addressed Kíli. Well, his words were clearly meant for the dwarf but he kept looking straight ahead, avoiding his patient’s eyes.  
“Lord Elrond will have to use the healing fire again later today. It is advisable to eat properly before the procedure starts.”  
Without giving the dwarf a second glance the elf left and Kíli found himself alone again, the dreadful thought of the healing fire creeping into his mind.  
While he knew he didn’t have another option he was still very anxious about it. After yesterday’s treatment and knowing what was waiting for him, he felt an unbidden panic rising. Trying to keep his mind occupied otherwise, he carefully lifted the blanket that was shielding his wounds form the outside world and allowed himself a glimpse at his them. A shiver ran down his spine when he saw the burn marks. He knew he had never been pretty according to dwarven standards but those marks certainly didn’t make for a glorious sigh.  
With a defeated sigh he pulled the blanket back into place and waited for Tauriel.  
The sight of her improved his mood significantly, especially, as she was carrying a try of food. After eating in peaceful silence for a while, Tauriel cleared her throat.  
“What did the healer want?” she asked, dreading Kíli’s answer. She hadn’t been fooled by his smile when she had gotten back, as she saw a lingering shadow of fear in his eyes.  
“They’ll have to do it again,” he answered with a small voice.  
To Kíli’s surprise Tauriel stopped moving, an apple half way to her mouth. The elf’s eyes fluttered close and Kíli could have sworn that she paled a little.  
“Oh” was the only thing she said before hastily continuing to eat her apple.  
“What do you mean, ‘oh’?” Kíli asked a little worried. Tauriel seemed unwilling to answer but the concern on his face urged her on.  
“I can feel it”, she finally confessed, more to the apple in her hand than to him.  
“What? How?” Kíli asked confused.  
“I am not sure”, Tauriel answered. “Our souls must be connected. When I healed you back in Laketown, I felt how your body was mending but it is much stronger now.”  
Kíli stared at her, a look of wonderment on his face.  
“That… that’s…”, he started but couldn’t find anything to say. He felt terrible for her.  
Tauriel smiled at his lack of words.  
“I’m sorry” he finally managed, his expression changing from surprised to guilty. “You shouldn’t have to go through this”, he added.  
“Neither should you but there is no other way” the elf said. A look of determination settled on the dwarf’s face.  
“But I am the one who got wounded, not you. You should not have to suffer because of me!” he told her earnestly. It seemed hardly fair to him that such a wonderful creature as Tauriel should have to endure pain, even the slightest bit of it, because she was, for some reason, bound to him. She hadn’t asked for this, well neither of them had. Still, Kíli was glad when her hand found his and she gently intertwined their fingers.  
“Kíli, I would endure all the pain in the world, if it kept you alive. You are not responsible for this and neither am I. We do not know how things will be.”  
Kíli swallowed hard and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I owe you so much” he murmured, his eyes locking with hers. “Promise me to get out of here when they start again”, he suddenly said. “I don’t know how bad it’ll be today but I don’t want you to be near me. Might make things better for you.”  
Tauriel raised an eyebrow. “And what would you have me do?” she asked, a little amused and a little touched by his determination to shield her as best as possible. Kíli shrugged and without a warning, the grin was back.  
“You could practise shooting. Once I’m free to use my arms again we should have an archery competition and you certainly need the practise!”  
Surprised at his answer, Tauriel laughed. The sound made Kíli feel oddly proud. Despite the pain he was involuntarily causing her he could still make her laugh.  
“Don’t get ahead of yourself” the elf warned with a smile still on her features.  
The moment was gone too soon, though, as Gandalf entered the room, followed by Elrond and another healer.  
“Tauriel, a word” the wizard said, smiling a short greeting at the pair. Tauriel let go of Kíli’s hand a tried to give him a subtle not too obvious encouraging smile before leaving the room. 

Alone with the elves, Kíli felt the happiness from earlier leaving his body in an instant. Elrond inspected his wounds as well, commenting on how much better they already were and, to his immense relief, explained that, if things went according to plan, this should be the last time they had to use the healing fire. Even though it was only a small consolation Kíli felt a little better hearing the elf say it and tried not to shy away from the ointment that would soon set his body on fire again. 

***

Tauriel didn’t know how long she managed to concentrate on shooting arrows. While she knew that Kíli had been joking, at least partly, she was grateful for the distraction but his screams still haunted her. Therefore, she was more than glad when Bilbo found her around noon, carrying some bread, cheese and a jug of water.  
Expressing her gratitude, she settled down beside him and tried to ignore the dull throbbing in her midsection, focussing very hard on the bread in her hand.  
“I have been wondering… “ the hobbit started, looking at her somewhat shyly. Tauriel gave him an encouraging smile and he continued, “… if you could tell me more about your people?”  
“About the elves of Mirkwood?” she asked, a little startled. While she understood that the hobbit had not met many elves, she doubted that the Mirkwood elves were particularly interesting. Nonetheless, she inquired what he would like to her.  
“Anything, really. I don’t know much about elves, you see, and I thought maybe, you could help me with that?”  
“Well… I cannot tell you all that much for I am young in the eyes of my people but I can certainly tell you a bit about the history of my people.” An excited nod from the hobbit urged her on. “A long time ago, the Mirkwood elves were a merry folk, before the shadow settled over our homeland…”  
Bilbo was a great listener, Tauriel noted. He hung to every word she said and asked the right questions here and there, wondering about the fate of one particular person or another and the whole time he pointedly ignored how she corrected herself whenever she referred to Thranduil as her king, for he no longer was.  
The more time she spent with the hobbit, the better she felt. While the pain didn’t go away the hobbit proved to be a good distraction and a likable one at that. They spent a couple of hours trading stories about their people, customs and traditions and the elf found herself enjoying the company very much.  
“The Shire does sound like a great place to live” she commented on one of Bilbo’s tales about the forests surrounding the Shire.  
“Well, I do hope that you will accompany us further and have a look for yourself!”, he exclaimed. Tauriel bowed her head in a gesture of agreement.  
“That is my intention, Master Baggins”, she said, which seemed to delight the hobbit. 

Together, they made their way up to the healing chambers and while Bilbo seemed hesitant to enter with her, he let himself be pulled into Kíli’s room. Tauriel knew that Kíli wouldn’t be awake and she feared seeing his unconscious form again. He had looked so lifeless the day before and it hat scared her more than she liked to admit.  
“How is he?” Bilbo asked the elf once they had settled down on either side of the sleeping dwarf. Kíli looked a little less pale than yesterday, Tauriel thought, which she decided to treat as a sign for his improving condition.  
“I think better than yesterday. When I checked the wounds earlier, they had closed up quite well.”  
Bilbo nodded and seemed content with sitting at the sickbed, pondering whatever was on his mind. He didn’t notice the internal struggle that Tauriel was fighting, wondering whether it would be acceptable to take Kíli’s hand. She was quite sure the hobbit had caught on to something but wasn’t sure to what extend Bilbo understood their relationship. Maybe it was better not to tempt fate. He would find out for sure sooner or later anyway but it occurred to her that it might be safer not to let him know just yet. Therefore, she occupied herself with carefully cataloguing the movements of Kíli’s breath.  
After all the talking they had done, both, the hobbit and the elf, enjoyed the friendly silence they shared and it lasted for quite a while until the hobbit declared his intention to have dinner with Gandalf, who, apparently, wanted to speak to him about a matter of importance. When Tauriel asked what it was, the hobbit shrugged and admitted he didn’t know.  
Once again on her own with the sleeping dwarf Tauriel dared to have another look at the wounds. She hadn’t spoken to Elrond that day but she assumed and hoped that no news from him were good news and indeed, when she moved the blanket she saw that even the wound on Kíli’s abdomen was sufficiently closed. While she wasn’t a great healer she possessed enough common sense to understand that his body would still need resting but would be able to do the rest alone.  
Holding the blanket with her left hand, she used the right one to caress the scars and burn marks with light fingers. She really hoped they weren’t hurting him anymore. Her line of thought brought her back to the conversation she had with Gandalf this morning. Apparently, Bilbo had told the wizard how he had found her and while she knew that Gandalf did not judge her and Kíli’s relationship it made her uncomfortable to discuss it. He had simply repeated what Lord Elrond had already told her – it is unheard of – and proceeded to stress the potential risk they were both in, as the wizard doubted that their feelings would be met with acceptance among their people. Tauriel had argue that Fíli, Kind under the Mountain, could probably convince his kin, or at least some of them, that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be the end of Middle Earth if his brother pursued a relationship with an elf but Gandalf had shattered that hope all too soon. He may be a King and he may accept his brother’s choice in companion but that does not mean his folk is any more willing to understand. That was what the wizard had said. And while she knew that he was right, in fact, had known it all along, it wasn’t pleasant to hear. She knew that she would never return to Mirkwood, not that she wanted to, but a part of her had hoped, for Kíli, that they could, one day, return to the mountain.  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint groan and her eyes darted to Kíli’s face. His eyes were opening slowly and he was blinking against the light in the room. Carefully, Tauriel let go of the blanket and folded her hands in her lap, waiting for Kíli to wake.  
“Not very pretty, eh?” His rough voice made her wince a little, as even his smile could not betray the pain he seemed to be in.  
“You’re alive, that’s what matter”, Tauriel answered softly. His smiled seemed to grow a little when he replied.  
“Couldn’t get much worse anyway”, he murmured and the elf’s brows furrowed in confusion.  
Kíli reached out for her but couldn’t life his hand much, as pain soared through his body. Moving was not an option, then. Still, her hand found his and he noted the expectant look on her face.  
“Among my kin I’ve never been considered… attractive”, he explained and to his satisfaction a tiny scowl formed on the redhead’s face.  
“Why would you say that? Wounds gained in battle are honourable!” She argued.  
Kíli would have liked to shrug but decided it was better to avoid motion, so he settled for a brief explanation of dwarven ideas of beauty.  
“In battle, aye. These scars are the work of elves, though. ‘m glad that I’m alive but some might consider it … wrong.”  
Tauriel had to admit that she was a little shocked at that. Yes, she’d been aware of the stubborn hatred and mistrust their people held towards each other but that? It seemed a bit too much to her.  
“And, well… I’m taller than most, have no beard…” Kíli trailed off, hoping she wouldn’t notice the blush creeping into his features. Back in the Blue Mountains nobody gave him so much as a second glance. If there was someone a dwarrodam had been interested in it had always been his brother Fíli. Fíli, who fought with knives, was good with an axe, had a glorious beard and was not as abnormally tall as he was. Kíli had, of course, learned to cope and had stopped caring at some point but somewhere, deep down, it still stung.  
“Are beards really that important?” Tauriel ask, a tinge of amusement finding its way into her voice. Her bewilderment made Kíli smile, she noted with relief.  
“Hmmm… we all have beards, they’re considered the most important feature, really”, he explained. Tauriel shook her head. Sometimes, those differences all but confused her. Of course she had noted the dwarves fondness for long and well-tended beards but apparently, there was a lot more to it.  
Without giving it much thought she let go of Kíli’s hand and lifted her own to his cheek, gently caressing his stubble. He seemed to enjoy her touch and relaxed into her palm.  
To her surprise, Tauriel had to admit that she enjoyed the feeling too. Of course she had touched him before, when they had shared a kiss, but now that she was focussing on the feeling, it was different, exciting.  
“I… like it” she whispered, finding delight in the little smile he gave her.  
With Tauriel caressing his cheek and daylight slowly fading, Kíli found himself drifting off to sleep again, welcoming the blissful darkness where the pain still inhabiting his body was reduced to a dull throbbing. 

***

The next time Kíli woke up, darkness surrounded him and his body felt like it was burning up on its own accord.  
“Tauriel?” he called out, hoping the elf was still there. Slowly, he lifted his hand and searched for he elf. His relief when his fingers brushed a strand of long, silky hair was short-lived, as a new wave of pain made him gasp. He didn’t like waking the sleeping elf but the pain was threatening to take over and become unbearable. His hand found her shoulder and he shook her awake.  
When Tauriel finally woke, Kíli was close to crying out loud. Earlier that day Elrond had warned him that something like that might happen but it hadn’t prepared him for the pain.  
“Tauriel… Wake up” his voice urged her to alertness within moments.  
“What? Kíli?” she asked, sleep still in her voice.  
“Fire” he gasped out, hands suddenly clutching his stomach. Tauriel’s eyes widened as she understood and she hurriedly got up to find one of the pots Elrond had left in the room. Coming back to Kíli’s bed she had already unscrewed the lid and was about to apply some of the cooling ointment to the sore skin around the wounds when Kíli’s hand stopped her. His grasp on her wrist was almost painful but when she heard the whimper that escaped his lips it was forgotten.  
“Kíli, I need you to let go off me” she coaxed gently, hoping he’d understand her. More pitiful whimpers were the answer but the grip on her hand loosened and she set herself to work. Once she had finished dabbing the mixture on his skin, she went to find some potion that would help him sleep.  
Carefully, she brought a cup to his lips and even though his nose wrinkled in disgust he gratefully sipped the potion. As soon as she had guided his head back onto the pillow, his eyes were fluttering shut.  
“You always save me” he murmured, the hint of a quirky smile on his lips, before drifting off to sleep.  
Tauriel watched him slumber and hoped that he wouldn’t feel the pain anymore. Thankfully, it couldn’t have been as bad as before as she was only feeling a hollow echo of it herself, but he had been through too much for her liking, especially in these past few days. Reaching out to brush some of his long hairs out of his face, she let her hand linger at his cheek for a moment.  
“I will always be there”, she vowed, both, to herself and the sleeping dwarf. Maybe it was just her imagination but she liked to think that a small smile graced his sleeping features when her words left her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go. Hope you liked it!  
> I'm back from traveling around Ireland and for some reason have found a LOT of inspiration for future chapters. Which is why I'll hopefully have them out of Rivendell by the end of the next chapter and on their way to the Shire. Can't wait for it :D


	11. Departure from Rivendell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today we meet a variety of Tauriels: caring!Tauriel, slightlyawkward!Tauriel, and, my recent favourite, tipsy!Tauriel.  
> Also, awkward!Bilbo and a bunch of other characters and character features.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy the following chapter! It was, to be honest, a bit of an experiment to me and I'm curious to find out if it worked. So - did you like it? Did I do an acceptable job writing Kíli and Tauriel together in both, rather sad and happy situations?

Chapter 11: Departure from Rivendell

The next days were, compared to the previous ones, rather boring. Kíli spent his time sleeping, which left Tauriel somewhat on her own, as she couldn’t spend all her time sitting at his bedside. Especially not, after the annoyed looking elf found her at his side again, the morning after they had used the healing fire for the last time.  
He hadn’t said anything but when she had turned up for a shared breakfast with Lord Elrond, Bilbo, Gandalf and a couple of other elves, he had shot her a sour look and hadn’t spoken to her since. Not that she minded, but his rude behaviour wasn’t exactly putting her at ease. She knew they’d be met with this kind of reaction wherever they went but finding it here, in Rivendell, after Lord Elrond had so willingly accepted them into their home, was unpleasant.  
Kíli on the other hand, was blissfully unaware of the slight hostility some of the elves showed towards Tauriel. Most of them knew about the “disagreement” she has had with Thranduil and were suspicious about why she was willingly spending so much time with a dwarf. When somebody had questioned her behaviour, she had nearly lashed out at them, tired of the whispers behind her back. “I made a promise” she had answered in a voice that forbid further questions, neglecting to mention that the promise was as much to him as it was to herself.  
Meanwhile, Kíli slept a lot. Whenever he was awake, either Bilbo or Tauriel sat by his side, made sure he ate and drank enough and kept him busy with conversations. Roughly a week after Elrond had declared the healing fire a success, Kíli had confessed to Tauriel how much he missed his brother. She had, once again, taken his hand in hers, tracing random patterns on it and asked for stories about the brothers’ childhood. Kíli had happily obeyed and thus she learned a lot about the company’s journey, Kíli’s and Fíli’s childhood in the Blue Mountains, of the death of their father and, consequentially, about their uncle Thorin.  
“He was a good dwarf”, Kíli sighted with a heavy heart and Tauriel squeezed his hand in sympathy. Her heart ached for the young dwarf, now more than ever, as she knew how much more than an uncle Thorin had been to him.  
“I’m sure of it. And I am sure he would have been a good king.”  
Kíli grew pensive after this and after moment of silence he reluctantly told her about Thorin’s downfall. It still troubled him to think about the dragon sickness and he confessed that he was more than glad that Fíli had agreed to giving generous shares of the treasure away to the men of Dale and the elves of the Woodland Realm.  
“I think Thorin would have been proud of him”, Kíli ended and found the elf smiling at him.  
“He’d be a fool not to”, she said and Kíli shot her a cheeky grin.  
“Well, I’m not sure how proud he would have been about this” he answered, gesturing between them. Tauriel couldn’t help the chuckle escaping her lips and to her surprise, Kíli joined in.  
“It’s good to laugh”, he said after a moment, still smiling at her.  
“By Mahal, he would have been furious!” he added, imagining his uncle’s reaction to his relationship with the elf.  
Suddenly, the mirth was gone from his features and was replaced by a sorrowful expression. Tauriel saw tears shimmering in his eyes and pulled him into a wordless hug, while Kíli allowed his tears to fall freely, slowly drenching the fabric covering her shoulder. She didn’t know how long she held him or when his hands balled into fists, clutching the fabric of her tunic, holding on to her like she was the only thing that kept him from drowning. Not knowing what to do, Tauriel pressed a kissed onto his head and started stroking his back in what she hoped was a soothing manner. The elf felt terribly sorry for the dwarf and longed to comfort him but she really wasn’t at ease with the situation. She felt awkward. Suddenly, her arms were too long and she didn’t know what to do with the hand that wasn’t rubbing circles on the dwarf’s back. Holding Kíli was nice and it seemed to work, which she was incredibly grateful for, for she was a warrior. She fought, she killed and she knew how to protect form foes and danger, but this was new.  
A while later, the dwarf in her arms shifted and his eyes found hers.  
“Sorry”, he mumbled, clearly embarrassed about his outburst. He stubbornly wiped his hand over his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears.  
“It’s fine”, Tauriel answered, lacking the appropriate words. Yet, Kíli seemed to understand, offering her a grateful, if a little shaky, smile. He absentmindedly wrapped a strand of hair around his finger, playing with it.  
“Did you know that read hair is considered a sign of rare beauty among our kind?” he asked, deliberately changing the topic. Tauriel took the hint and shook her head,  
“Oh but it is!” he exclaimed. “My cousin’s got red hair and even though he’s barely of age the lasses are trying to catch his eye.”  
The elf’s smile was enough motivation for Kíli to launch into another tale about the dwarves of the Blue Mountains and soon, they were laughing again.  
Tauriel cherished the moment for two reasons. First, she knew he’d soon be able to walk again, which did, of course excite him, but it also meant prying eyes and suspicious glances everywhere, and, secondly, he made her feel beautiful, which was something nobody had bothered to do in a very long time, not after her parents had passed away when she was still a child. 

***

The next two weeks passed in a rush, not only for Tauriel and Bilbo, who had started to prepare their departure to the Shire, but also for Kíli, who was finally allowed out of his bed. Despite still being a little unsteady on his feet, he had taken to wandering around Rivendell on his own, sometimes bumping into one of his friends or one elf or another. Most of them paid him no mind whereas others pointedly ignored him or grumbled their disapproval for his wanderings. Still, the dwarf enjoyed the liberty to move around relatively freely and he even took the time to write a letter to his brother.  
Writing was generally not something he enjoyed but now that he had not seen or heard of his brother for nearly two months, he realized that there was no other way to communicate with him, which is, why he had begrudgingly asked Tauriel to find some parchment, ink and a quill for him. 

Dear Brother, he wrote, starring at the words and ridiculing their formality in his head. It was strange, addressing his brother like that but he couldn’t very well start writing without a more or less formal greeting and he wasn’t sure if his brother would appreciate being referred to as “regal idiot”. The thought made Kíli chuckle and he contemplated changing the greeting after all.  
Then he thought of other people who might read his letter and decided that Balin would probably not be very pleased, as he remembered how often the old dwarf had scolded him for his lack of sincerity. 

We have arrived in Rivendell a while ago and Lord Elrond was actually able to heal my sorry arse. I don’t know how you’re doing, being the king and all that, but I am sick and tired of the elves of Rivendell. Most of them have been nice enough but some of them are downright rude. I think they even started ignoring Tauriel because she talks to me. And I can’t bear their gentle speech and light steps anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I am more than grateful for their hospitality but I am more than happy to be turning my back on them soon. In two days, we’ll be starting our journey to the Shire and our burglar is more than excited. He won’t shut up about his hobbit hole and all the pipe weed he intends to smoke once he’s back. Well, he’s gotten me curious about that, at least.  
Gandalf will be travelling with us for a while but Bilbo mentioned that he’d be leaving before we reach the Shire. Apparently, he’s got some business in the South. I just hope he visits you and makes sure you are okay. 

Kíli didn’t really know what else to write. The important bits were that he was okay and that they’d be leaving for the Shire soon. Well, and there was the matter of Tauriel but he didn’t know how to bring that up without raising his brother’s suspicion. Obviously, Fíli wasn’t blind or stupid but that didn’t mean it was wise to outright tell him how things had changed. 

“Oh, and the elf is coming with us” seemed wrong and way too impersonal. 

Tauriel will be coming with us for security and I think she wants to see the Shire, after all the tales Bilbo told her. 

Yeah, that’s appropriate, Kíli thought, and, not bothering to read his letter a second time, signed it in his messy scrawl. 

Remember your promise. I’ll be expecting your visit! 

He added before blowing on the letter and rolling it. For once, fate was kind and he managed to find a raven willing to act as a messenger for him. At least, he assumed that was the case, as the bird stretched out its leg. Kíli took that as an invitation to bind the letter to it, hoping it would find the way to the Lonely Mountain. 

***

Their last day in Rivendell was soon upon them and, to Kíli’s and Bilbo’s delight, the elves were celebrating their departure. Bilbo suspected that most of them were actually glad to see them leave but that did not mean they couldn’t enjoy the feast.  
The food was as good as on the feast they had had one their arrival, many months ago, and the wine was even better. At least in Kíli’s opinion, who hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since … he couldn’t even remember when.  
The merry atmosphere made Kíli painfully aware of two things. First of all, it reminded him of his brother, who should have been here, and secondly, and this was proving to be a bit of an inconvenience, it brought to his mind that despite all the happiness, he missed the closeness to Tauriel which he had experienced during the days he had spent in bed. Of course he was more than happy to be alive and well but that also meant being careful where ever they went and whatever they did. All the privacy they got in these past few days was reduced to quick, reassuring touches and a number of very quick kisses, which Kíli had enjoyed but he longed for some peace and quite with the elf by his side.  
Staring into the distance pensively, he first didn’t notice when the elf excused herself from Elladan’s side and made her way towards him.  
“Anything interesting?”  
Her amused voice so close to his ear nearly made him jump and he turned to face her with that impossible smile of his.  
“If I wanted to look at something interesting I would have looked at you”, he shot back, his eyes twinkling in the candlelight. Even though it was quite dark he was sure the elf blushed a little upon hearing his words, which he considered his biggest achievement of the day. Under the table, Tauriel’s hand found his leg and she squeezed it lightly before pulling away and reaching for her own glass.  
“Are you sad to leave the elves?” Kíli suddenly asked, thinking of his own kin, who he had abandoned weeks ago.  
Without a warning Tauriel emptied her glass, regardless of the wine’s strength, and placed it back on the table a little too forceful for it to be an entirely controlled and sober movement. Kíli tried to fight back a smile. His calm and collected lovely elven lady was, apparently, a little tipsy. When her eyes found his there was a new sparkle in them, something mischievous and daring.  
“I think, I am actually quite glad to leave”, she answered, leaning a little closer then necessary. The grin won the fight against the serious face Kíli was trying to put on and he found himself all but starring at Tauriel.  
“Oh?” was all the reply he could muster with her eyes boring into his. Discreetly checking that nobody was watching them, she leaned a little closer and, her lips nearly brushing his ear, murmured, “We should check if everything is ready for our journey.”  
Kíli raised an eyebrow at her, and Tauriel was, if she was perfectly honest with herself, a little surprised at her own boldness, while Kíli suddenly looked immensely smug. But who could blame him, really? While Tauriel always was a vision, she looked even more beautiful with slightly pink cheeks, a secretive smile and the candlelight on her soft features. The dwarf was very pleased when the elf returned his mischievous grin when he nodded, barely visible.  
“After you, my lady” he answered, only half joking.  
Once Tauriel was gone form the festivities, Kíli waited till he was sure the elves were occupied with themselves and neither Bilbo nor Gandalf was paying any attention to what the dwarf was doing. In fact, he hadn’t seen Bilbo for a while now and suspected that the hobbit was wandering around Rivendell one last time before having to leave it early the next morning. Avoiding causing much noise when he got up, he carefully slipped away from the gathering, yet before he caught up with Tauriel, a very familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.  
“And where are you wandering off to, Master dwarf?”  
“Gandalf!”  
So the wizard had noticed. Kíli’s surprise was a too big for any annoyance to form on his mind and he gave the wizard a, hopefully, charming smile.  
“I… er… remembered I forgot to pack something”, he answered lamely. Of course the wizard did also notice that he hesitated but apart from one raised eyebrow, his face betrayed no suspicions.  
“Ah well… off you go, then!” Kíli could have sworn that Gandalf knew he was blatantly lying. “And make sure to pack properly”, the older man added, leaving the dwarf and heading back to the feast.  
Kíli shook his head. He’d never understand the wizard’s meddling but as long as he was left in peace he could live with that; at least for now. Wasting no more of their precious time he quickly sneaked further into the gardens of Rivendell, looking for a tell tale sign of red hair.  
He finally found her sitting on a bench near a pond. It was quite a lovely place, he mused, but he couldn’t care less, as Tauriel was the far more beautiful sight.  
“You look lovely”, he breathed, stepping into her view. A most un-elvish giggle left her lips when she saw the awed look on his face. She beckoned him closer and, attempting a graceful movement, he stepped into the space between her legs. He was rather grateful that she was sitting on the bench because despite not minding their difference in height, it was nice being a little taller than her every once in a while.  
In a quick movement, Tauriel drew him closer to her, nearly making him stumble into her slender frame.  
“Whoops”, she murmured, one of her hands coming to rest above his heart. He was sure she’d notice his heart beating much faster than normal. She usually had that effect on him whenever they ignored proper behaviour and did as they pleased and Tauriel liked to place her hand there. Kíli suspected that she started doing it in order to reassure herself that his heart was still beating but at some point she couldn’t use this excuse anymore and just did it whenever the opportunity presented itself.  
“How much wine did you have to drink?” Kíli teased and Tauriel’s lips formed a decidedly too innocent smile.  
“What do you think, melanin?” she asked, while Kíli’s hands slowly crept from her arms towards her neck.  
“A little too much, maybe?” he said, one of his thumbs caressing her jaw.  
The way her teeth caught her lower lip when his eyes flickered down to them was mesmerising and Kíli could practically hear his breath catching in his throat. 

Tauriel wasn’t quire sure what possessed her to act that way but she enjoyed teasing the dwarf; maybe even a little too much. But it was undeniably … arousing to see him looking at her that way, his heart thundering away under her palm, pupils blown wide and his breath coming a little faster than normal. Well, and his hands on her neck, caressing her, felt good. A little rough they were but warm and welcoming and at home. Not too long ago she would have laughed at a notion like this but it seemed less and less ridiculous the more time she spent with the dwarf. They had done a lot of talking in these past two weeks in Rivendell, as there wasn’t much else they could have done and, the few secret kisses they had exchanged hadn’t done much good to her need to be close to him. Rather the contrary had happened, the more intimacy they shared the more she craved.  
Her fingers curled into the fabric covering his chest and with a strong, swift movement, she pulled him towards her, eyes still locked with his. After what felt like an eternity to both of them their lips met and, knowing their absence would be noted sooner rather than later, they did not hesitate to deepen the kiss quickly, Tauriel gently nibbling at Kíli’s lower lip before slipping her tongue into his mouth. A content hum fell from his throat and the elf smiled into the kiss, while she was quite busy kissing him, running her hands over his chest and attacking his mouth again and again with undying vigour.  
Meanwhile, Kíli was trying to catch up with what was happening, completely failing as the elf’s hands were providing a very good distraction. Regaining some kind of command over his body, he moved his hands into her hair. Mahal, he loved her hair. He would gladly spend the rest of his days stroking and braiding her hair. When he accidentally brushed her ear, the elf let out a sensual moan, a light shiver running through her entire body and Kíli wondered if he would be allowed to explore her body further. He wanted to find all the places that drew such exquisite sounds from her and, forgetting about reason and customs and maybe even about what might be considered appropriate, he let one of his hands wander back to her shoulders, intending to touch the pale skin of her collarbones, tracing a light line of freckles downwards... 

Before his hand could move further, a very surprised squeak interrupted the lovers, making Kíli stumble back in alarm and Tauriel’s hands flying into her hair, trying to shake it into a less messy position. An incredibly embarrassed hobbit turned burglar stood a few feet away from them, mouth hanging wide open, pipe forgotten in his hand. Awkward silence settled between them and Tauriel had a feeling that Kíli was not the only one whose cheeks were slowly flushing. She saw the dwarf opening his mouth but it was absolutely beyond her what he could have to say.  
“Er…” was, in fact, all Kíli was able to produce but it was enough to snap at least Bilbo out of his stupor. He closed his mouth, eyes darting from Kíli to Tauriel and back, his lips forming a voiceless reply.  
“I didn’t see you?” the hobbit said with an unsteady voice, receiving two very vigorous nods before turning on the spot and vanishing into the night.  
Tauriel and Kíli turned back to each other, mouths slightly agape.  
“This cannot happen again” they said at the same time, and, after a moment of silence, they started to laugh.  
“We need to be more careful”, Kíli concluded, seriousness returning to his features. Tauriel shot him a cheeky grin and raised an eyebrow.  
“I thought you said you were reckless?” she questioned, and drew him in for one last quick kiss.  
Moments later, they were heading back to the feast, both pointedly avoiding Bilbo’s eyes when he, too, came back to the celebration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liked it? Tell me! Didn't like it? Also tell me so I can make it better ;)


	12. Travelling to the Shire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long journey is a head of our dear travelers!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do excuse the long wait for an update! My sister is currently visiting me and I don't have much time for writing. Still, I hope you enjoy this new addition :)!

Chapter XII: Travelling to the Shire

 

It was with a heavy heart that Tauriel left the comforts of her soft and fluffy bed in Rivendell. While she had heard plenty about the very cosy and homely accommodations she would find in the Shire, she had no clue as to when they would reach the hobbit's village. Gandalf had reassured her that it should not be more than two weeks, considering they were now better equipped with horses, or ponies, in Bilbo's and Kíli’s case, but there was still a certain amount of regret she felt when leaving her living quarters. Once she saw Kíli’s smile, however, another emotion took hold of her, and she decided that, given the privacy, she'd rather spend all her live away from comfy beds if it meant being with him.  
Kíli, in turn, felt his heart speeding up a little when he saw Tauriel back in her old uniform. Sure, he could appreciate a dress or a more shapely gown, but he's always prefer her in her green and brown clothes. Besides making her look the warrior part, they’d never fail to bring out her hair in the most splendid way, the dwarf mused.  
After a short breakfast, the group of four bid farewell to Lord Elrond and his sons and started their journey towards the Shire.  
The Hobbit was visibly excited to be going home and even the awkward run in from the passed evening did nothing to dampen his spirits. He was happily talking to his pony when Tauriel joined him and he even managed to shoot her a friendly smile.  
The elf was relieved to know that the hobbit did not hold any grudges; at least no visible ones and soon they were riding a winding path out of the valley.  
Gandalf was leading them, Bilbo followed suite and Kíli and Tauriel formed to rear guard, if it could be called that. After hours and hours of riding, Gandalf stopped them at a clear brook and they took a light lunch, Tauriel checked Kíli’s wounds, and soon they were on their way again. Kíli had grumbled in protest when Tauriel had first attempted to lift his shirt, telling her there was no need to check them just yet but the elf was having none of it and once he had lost the argument, Kíli had taken to stubbornly refusing looking at the scars and marks.  
Tauriel had to admit that she was keen on checking the wounds mostly for her own peace of mind. Lord Elrond had told her, more than once, that they could still get infected if they didn’t treat them carefully and while Kíli may have been too stubborn to see reason, she certainly wasn’t. Therefore, she found herself applying some cooling ointment onto the scars while the other two were enjoying their pipes.  
“You’ll get wrinkles”, the elf suddenly said when she closed the lid of the pot, shooting Kíli a teasing smile. Clearly, he hadn’t expected a comment and his lips curled into an involuntary smile, his tongue peeking out in protest.  
“You’d still like me”, he teased back, pleased about the light laughter she let out at his reply. Taking her time she smoothed down his tunic and maybe lingered a little too long. Kíli’s teasing smiled turned into a lazy one and Tauriel really wanted to lean in, just a little, but knew it wouldn’t do them much good.  
“Ah, I don’t know… not only a dwarf but also wrinkled?” She pretended to think about the perspective, eyeing Kíli’s expression fondly.  
“Oi!” he scolded her and tried to think of a clever reply. He had to admit that he couldn’t think of something but before he had to admit defeat, Gandalf was calling them back to their horses. 

***

The next week and a half passed in an oddly peaceful manner, as Gandalf remarked. They spent their days riding, only taking short breaks, resting during the night. Despite Kíli’s protest he was usually only allowed to take watches for a short time and Tauriel made sure she’d be awake during those times. Usually, they’d spent an hour or two talking about this or that and when they were sure that both, wizard and hobbit were fast asleep, they allowed themselves to cuddle up under one blanket, the fingers of one of their hands tightly intertwined and the other resting on a knife or a dagger.  
Sometimes, Tauriel felt like things were moving too fast and sometimes, she wished she could blindly press on, especially, when Kíli was shooting her one of his grins, his face full of live and love and admiration. 

The night they finally arrived in Bree, they had the tremendous bad luck to get into a hailstorm in the late afternoon. The hobbit had been harbouring a cold for days now, Gandalf wasn’t in his best spirits either and Kíli was basically falling asleep on his pony, his wet coat clinging to his shivering form. Tauriel herself was also beginning to feel the cold creeping through her clothes and despite being an elf and therefore more resistant to the challenges of weather, she felt quite miserable. The rain made her clothes heavy and her sodding wet hair sent little tickles of water running down her face.  
All in all, they were all more than glad to arrive in Bree. Yet, the few people who saw them arrive shot them doubtful looks and only when Gandalf requested rooms for them in the Prancing Pony, the only inn that was still open, they found a friendly face. Obviously, the hobbits and the big folk of Bree were not used to seeing such a group of travelling companions. Unfortunately for all of them though, the friendly innkeeper informed them that there was only one room left, which they’d be welcome to share.  
His eyes lingered on Tauriel, the only female in the group and once she gave an affirmative nod, he handed over a key and showed them the way to their room. 

As soon as the innkeeper had left and she saw the two beds and armchairs, she pushed Kíli gently into the direction of the smaller bed, while Gandalf assured Bilbo that he really did not mind sleeping in the armchair. Bilbo’s eyes wandered over to Tauriel but she was currently occupied with peeling the wet cloak off of Kíli, while he was desperately trying not to fall asleep.  
“Tauriel, would you like to have the other bed?” the hobbit asked, carefully avoiding to look at Kíli or the way the elf’s hands were trying to untangle his overtunic from the rest.  
“No, my little friend”, she replied distractedly, turning again to focus on her task. Bilbo shrugged and made himself comfortable, Gandalf doing the same and lightening pipe.  
Kíli tried to bat away her hands once she had removed his over tunic and he was only in his shoes, pants and a light shirt. Tauriel was having none of it thought and gave him a friendly smile.  
“Take it off, you’ll just get worse if you keep it”, she reminded him gently and he obeyed.  
When she leaned closer to lift the shirt over his head he turned his head to whisper something into her ear.  
“Can’t wait to have your way with me, can you?” he murmured. When she pulled away, mouth agape and eyes wide, he thought, for a moment, that he had gone too far in his sleepy state. Yet, when he saw her lips twitch in the candlelight, he knew better.  
“I’ve been delaying to search you for a while now”, she answered after a moment of consideration and he grinned up at her. When she pulled his shirt over his head his eyes finally fell on the wounds. While they didn’t pain him anymore and were sufficiently healed, he still dreaded looking at them. They served as a constant reminder of how close he’d come to dying and of how much he had lost.  
As his face surfaced form the fabric his grin first turned into a grimace and then into a yawn. Tauriel chuckled at this and started pulling off his boots. Somehow, the dwarf found the energy to wriggle out of his pants and within moments he was curled into the bed.  
For a brief moment Tauriel hesitated but then she leaned down to him, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. She knew that the others were aware of how things between her and Kíli had become, therefore she figured it wouldn’t do too much harm. Besides, a kiss on the forehead was considered an innocent gesture among her people.  
Opening one eye, the dwarf smiled at her.  
“Go to sleep”, she whispered, adding melanin in her head. Yes, the others knew, but that did not mean she should openly use endearments.  
Within seconds Kíli was softly snoring into his pillow and a little smirk graced Tauriel’s features when she dug through her belongings, pulling out a dry tunic from her bundle. Once she had changed into the dry garment, she joined Gandalf, settling down in the remaining armchair.  
“Bilbo mentioned you’d be leaving us tomorrow?” she inquired, still not entirely sure of how to start a conversation with the wizard. She genuinely liked him but she was never sure what was going on in his mind.  
“Ah, yes”, he replied, blowing an impressive smoke ring. “I have urgent business in the realms of men and I intend to visit Erebor to see if everything is on order”, he elaborated, after watching the smoke ring disappear into thin air.  
“Besides, I’m sure the King under the Mountain is anxious to hear from his brother”, Gandalf added after Tauriel failed to reply anything.  
“Kíli sent a letter shortly before leaving Rivendell”, she informed him, turning her gaze away from the sleeping dwarf.  
“He’s young and reckless but he is growing up”, Gandalf mused, watching the elf’s face closely. To her surprise she found herself nodding at this.  
“The choices he has made have not been made lightly and he is well aware of the consequences of his actions.”  
Tauriel knew what Gandalf was implying. Of course, Kíli wasn’t stupid, he knew his kin would likely not welcome him back to the mountain, not after deciding to pursue a relationship with an elf, no matter which elf and what she had done for him.  
“I just wonder if you, Tauriel of Mirkwood, are aware of the consequences?” Gandalf suddenly asked, his usually friendly eyes resting on her with a certain worry in them. It irked Tauriel a little that he still referred to her as Tauriel of Mirkwood.  
“I… what do you mean?” she questioned back, not sure of how to handle the situation and what exactly Gandalf was implying.  
“The… love… you share” when Tauriel was about to protest, Gandalf raised his hand. “There is no use denying it. I see it for what it is. You share a rare connection; do not deny this lightly. Not after all you have been through together.”  
The elf felt her blood rushing to her face and she knew she was blushing a furious shade of red.  
“I don’t, Mithrandir.” She finally replied, eyes drifting back to Kíli.  
“Then you also know what it means for you?” he asked.  
Tauriel nodded. Of course she knew. There was no elf who did not know the tale of Lúthien and Beren and their tragic love. Binding your sole to a mortal was not something elves usually did. It was not only frowned upon, it also meant giving up their gift, the immortality.  
“Yes, and I would rather spend this one life with him than all eternity without him” she whispered, a little embarrassed of how much it moved her to state this to somebody else. Gandalf’s smile was on the edge of turning encouraging but he stopped himself.  
“Is young Kíli aware of it, though?”  
The hard line that suddenly appeared to her face was answer enough but she still shook her head.  
“I still need to tell him”, she said, a little pensive. She knew the dwarf wouldn’t like it because for all the times she had saved him, he would try to refuse this. Loving a mortal was the ultimate act of sacrifice an elf could perform and he would try to force her into rethinking her decision. Yet, she also knew, she couldn’t just reconsider.  
“You should get some rest”, Gandalf said after sitting in silence for a while, his eyes moving from Tauriel to the bed that held Kíli’s sleeping form. He raised an eyebrow at her, when she became a little flustered.  
“Lay down, Tauriel. Nobody can hurt him here”, he reassured her and, allowing herself a yawn she had been trying to fight back for a while now, she got up and moved towards the bed.  
Carefully, she slipped under the blankets and even though she told herself not to get to close to the dwarf, she placed her head next to his, his back facing her front. Silently praying that Gandalf would not notice the movement, she slipped her hand around his waist, sleep already claiming her.  
For a moment, Gandalf watched the odd pair peacefully dozing in the small bed. Yes, their life would not be the easiest but he wished them all the happiness in the world for maybe, they could serve as an example of how an elf and a dwarf could not only become friends but also look upon each other with fond eyes. 

*** 

The next morning Kíli woke up with his face buried in a mass of red hair that was covering two prominent shoulder blades, his arm securely wrapped around a narrow hip. For a moment the dwarf was disorientated but then he remembered arriving in Bree and falling asleep in a spectacularly comfortable bed. Well, and having Tauriel so close to him certainly made things better! He allowed himself another peaceful moment, closing his eyes once again and inhaling her scent happily. He wouldn’t mind waking up like that more often. Soon, the others were stirring as well and they started packing their belongings in order to head down for breakfast.  
Later, after many heartfelt goodbyes and promises of visits, Gandalf left as he had announced and Bilbo was left with an elf and a dwarf who were both clearly trying to avoid each other for the hobbit’s sake. After the three of them had finished their splendid and filling breakfast, Tauriel went back to their room to gather her bow and quiver. Bilbo cleared his throat, fully intending to finally address the relationship between Kíli and Tauriel.  
Kíli obviously knew what Bilbo had in mind, as his cheeks were sporting a faint blush when he heard the hobbit’s tell tale throat clearing.  
“I have been meaning to speak to you about…” he started but Kíli interrupted him.  
“Tauriel and me, I know.”  
Bilbo nodded.  
“Are you uncomfortable with our relationship?” Kíli really had a talent for hitting the nail right on the head, even though he didn’t give himself much credit for it.  
“Good gracious, no!” the hobbit exclaimed with a confused look on his face much to Kíli’s relief, as he exhaled loudly, unaware that he had been holding his breath.  
“Then…?” Well, being good at guessing things didn’t make people clever, Bilbo reminded himself.  
“Well, I think that now that you’re coming home with me, I should know what to… expect.” Bilbo gave him an awkward smile and Kíli became very interested in the hem of his sleeve.  
“Erm…”, he started, very eloquently, picking at a lose end of the sleeve.  
“For now it’s really nothing official but given the time, I think I’d like to court her. Properly, I mean. Even though that will mean turning my back to… everything I grew up with.”  
Bilbo’s face turned into an emphatic expression.  
“Thank you for telling me” he said and after a moment of consideration added “It will be fine, laddie”.  
Kíli gave an involuntary snort.  
“You sound like old Balin now, Master Baggins!” He commented, returning to his usual smiling self.  
“Someone has to look after you, when Lady Tauriel isn’t around to have your back, eh?” the hobbit answered with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and Kíli shrugged. When Tauriel entered the room, his face lit up with one of his huge grins and Bilbo found himself shaking his head fondly. The dwarf was truly ridiculous, sometimes. Especially, when the object of his affections was close by.  
A moment later, Bilbo excused himself and promised to check their room for left behind items, as he had a sneaking suspicion that the dwarf was especially good at this kind of thing, and told them he’d meet them at the stable.  
Once they were alone and had made sure the horse and the ponies were sufficiently saddled, they settled down on a straw bale. Sitting, Tauriel was only a few inches taller than Kíli and he could easily kiss her, if he wanted to. And by Mahal, how bad he wanted to do just that! But before, Kíli thought, he should probably tell her what he had told Bilbo. Well, he’d obviously leave out the bit about the courting but she should know that the hobbit didn’t mind their relationship.  
Breathing in deeply, Kíli reached for her hand and squeezed it gently, his eyes finding hers.  
“Bilbo asked me about us” he said, trying to keep his voice neutral. A slightly surprised smile came to Tauriel’s face.  
“And what have you told him?” she asked, starting to draw invisible patterns on the back of his hand.  
“What any decent dwarf would have said! I told him that this was nothing official but that given the time it might well be.”  
Kíli couldn’t help lowering his gaze a little when he spoke, hoping with all his heart that she was okay with this. Sure, she had declared her intentions to stay with him numerous times now, even told him that she loved him but sometimes he still couldn’t believe it.  
When he felt her fingertips coming to a rest under his chin, gently lifting his head again, he was taken by surprise. For once, it wasn’t him who was grinning like a fool!

Tauriel couldn’t help the rush of utter happiness that suddenly thundered through her body. He was willing to leave everything behind. For her. Not being able to hold in her feelings any longer, she leaned forwards, catching his lips with hers. After a bit of rather shy and tender kissing, things too a different turn, when Kíli’s fingers found their way into Tauriel’s hair and, consequently, to the tips of her ears. Soon, he had her shivering with pleasure, and after a bit of pushing and pulling, he found himself straddling her hips.  
Never in her wildest dreams had the elf considered kissing somebody smaller than herself. In fact, she had never actually pictured herself kissing anyone, but now that it had happened and she had fallen for a dwarf of all people, she wouldn’t have changed it for anything on this earth. The way he was running his hands through her hair, tenderly stroking the side of her ear, while trying not to let her feel his weight… It was delicious. Desperate for more contact she pulled him closer and for a moment Kíli lost his balance, gracelessly landing on her lap.  
A giggle escaped her and he sent her a playful, angry look, only to find her hands grabbing the front of his tunic, pulling him in for another kiss. Things were beginning to get rather carried away when one of the ponies moved and bumped into a pitchfork, sending it clattering to the ground.  
The two lovers pulled apart a little and Kíli somehow managed to think one clear thought.  
“Tauriel… Mahal, I hate to say it lass, but we should really stop now”, he breathed, leaning he head onto her shoulder.  
The elf could feel his hot breath on her skin and it sent a shiver down her spine. Slowly she let go of his tunic, silently mourning the loss on contact and he struggled to get back on his feet. Before he could get too far away, however, she caught his hand and pulled him back between her legs. One last kiss, she thought, claiming his lips once again. Well, and Kíli certainly didn’t protest.  
After a kiss that left them broth breathless, Kíli fondly picked some straw out of Tauriel’s hair and she untangled some of his braids, very happy smiles dancing on both their lips.  
A moment before the hobbit finally joined them Tauriel brought her mouth to his ear.  
“Soon”, she whispered, and without clarifying what she meant, she got up and mounted her horse. Kíli couldn’t help but stare after her when she left the stable. 

Before long, the three of them were back on the road and Bilbo was growing restless. He hadn’t seen his beloved Shire in a long time now and was anxious to see if had changed. Well, he assured them that things in the Shire took their time when it came to change, yet, he told them he had run out of his door long ago and hadn’t bother to take any precautions, which was why he was a little worried about what he’d find.  
His vivacious tale made the elf and the dwarf laugh and both of them were, at least for a while, filled with pleasant anticipation upon the thought of finally seeing their new home.


	13. A letter for the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fíli receives his brother's letter. Wohoo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do excuse the long wait! I have a visitor at the moment and writing is a little harder like that. But I promise that I'll have a new chapter for you in two or three days and it'll be about our favourite couple and their life in the Shire!

Chapter 13: A letter for the King 

After six weeks after he had sent his brother away, Fíli, King under the Mountain, found himself shaken awake by Balin. Despite considering the older dwarf his most trusted advisor, he didn’t appreciate being woken in the wee hours of the morning.  
“What?” he grumbled in a most un-kingly manner, eying Balin wearily. The cheery smile on the older dwarf’s face suggested good news but it was way too early for any king of news really.  
“You have received a bird.”  
Those words made Fíli sit up in anticipation.  
“I presume your brother sent it.”  
Wordlessly, Fíli reached out with his hand, a sudden fear taking hold of him. What if I sent him away for nothing and nobody can save him? Have I doomed him to die alone, far way from his kin?  
Bracing himself he unrolled the slip of parchment and began to read. Half way through the letter a relieved laugh escaped him and, looking up shortly, he could see the tension leaving Balin’ shoulders. Quickly finishing to read he looked up again.  
“He’s fine”, he breathed, sinking back down to his bed. Never in his whole life had he been so glad. And from the sound of it, his brother was not only mending but also regaining his youthful spirit. The thought made Fíli’s heart ache in his chest. Even though things were going well under the mountain and he could never complain about a lack of company, he missed his brother dearly.

***

Later, once he had had breakfast and slipped into his usual clothes, he found himself in the regular morning meeting and, to the surprise of many, he was in an unusually good mood.  
“You seem very… happy, my King” one of the dwarves form the Iron Hills remarked.  
Fíli couldn’t stop a grin forming on his face.  
“Aye, I’ve had word from my brother” he answered, dreading the others’ reaction.  
Despite his best efforts rumours had started not too long ago. Rumours about a dwarf prince choosing to seek the council of elves. While nobody dared to question the king’s decision openly, Fíli was still aware of how wrong most of his people found his actions towards his brother. Distasteful even.  
He was quite glad that nobody knew that Tauriel was with his brother, because he himself was still a little uncomfortable with the arrangement. Besides, some of the older and therefore more prejudiced dwarves had taken to ignoring the king’s brother all together and he did not fancy finding out what they would do if they knew all there was to know. Thus, the short silence that followed Fíli’s announcement turned uncomfortable very quickly.  
Thankfully, Dwalin chose that moment to step a little closer and his barely audible “’m glad to hear that” dissolved the tension, as the others seemed to consider the issue dealt with.  
Soon, the atmosphere they were all accustomed to was back and the meeting progressed in it’s usual pace, which meant endless talks about mining, restoring Erebor and Dale and the relations to the other kingdoms. 

After an exhausting day, Fíli wandered to one of the few balconies that Erebor provided and took out a piece of parchment and a very battered quill. 

Dear brother,  
I am glad to hear that the elves succeeded in saving your “sorry arse”. And not for the first time, I should point out. 

Well, that was that. There were so many things he wanted to tell and to ask but suddenly, he didn’t quite know how to start. He should probably tell his brother about life under the mountain but he wasn’t sure if Kíli would really appreciate it. If it was him in Rivendell he’d like to hear about his brother but he feared that Kíli might be a little jealous or angry if his older brother talked too much about the kingdom. Well, and he should probably write a few lines intended for Bilbo and maybe even Tauriel. He had a feeling that his brother was withholding information on the elf on purpose and while he was quite sure that writing everything on a piece of parchment which could easily fall into the wrong hands was not a good idea, he didn’t know how else to deal with it.  
After some more consideration he continued his letter, inquiring about Kíli’s plans now that he was healing, the hobbit’s well being and he even made up his mind and asked how the elf was doing so far away from her homeland. Also, he included a short summary of life in Erebor and reassured his brother that he was sorely missed.  
Once he had finished, he thought of something else he could write about Tauriel, adding “Uncle wouldn’t have been pleased at how much your life seems to depend on your pointy-eared friend but I am actually thankful that you found someone who’s willing to look after you when I can’t” to the letter.  
Satisfied with his reply he wrote one final paragraph, informing his brother that he’d sent an envoy with a small share of the treasure to the Shire so Kíli could spend a comfortable time there before eventually returning to the mountain. Because as far as Fíli was concerned that would happen at some point, give or take a few years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoyed the short little thing? I hope so! And I also hope you're willing to leave a comment ;)


	14. Chapter 14: Out and About in the Shire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shire. FINALLY!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! Took a while to write this but once I had started it was finished way too soon! I hope you enjoy it and, as always, don't forget to share your thoughts :)

Chapter 14: Out and About in the Shire 

June was usually a remarkably nice month in the Shire. It was quiet, as usual, the sun was shining not too warm and not too cold, the first crops were harvested and people were in an even better mood than normal.  
Yet, the 22 of June this year proved to be one of the most eventful and unusual days the Shire had seen in decades.  
First, it was the day of the big auction which was taking place, as the now assumedly dead Bilbo Baggins of Bag End had failed to return home after running off after a band of dwarves and secondly, but the Shire folk was yet unaware that, it would be the day that said Bilbo Baggins was going to return home from said adventure. However, and that is what was eventually going to cause the biggest outrage, he wasn’t going to return alone. No, the once respectable Bilbo Baggins of Bag End was going to return home in the company of a dwarf-prince and a red-haired she-elf, both of them far away form their home. 

It was half past noon when a very excited hobbit, an amused looking dwarf and a rather curious elf-maiden took the last turn towards their new and, in case of the former, old, home.  
Bilbo had grown increasingly quiet and pensive the closer they got to their home and now he was practically bouncing in his saddle. Kíli was torn between a bittersweet melancholy, for the last time he had set foot into the Shire his brother had been with him, and badly disguised curiosity at the elf’s reaction. Tauriel, though, couldn’t help smiling at the beautiful nature. After all the death and destruction she had seen it was a relief to see flowers, meadows and trees thriving in the soft summer air. She knew Kíli was watching her and didn’t even try to hide her happiness.  
All of a sudden, the hobbit stopped short and a wordless cry came from his throat.  
“What’s wrong?” Kíli asked, but before the hobbit could give an answer, he saw for himself. Plenty of hobbits were walking in and out of Bag End, carrying things, shouting for bargains and offering money. Quite obviously, they had stumbled right into a big auction.  
“What is the meaning of this?” cried Bilbo finally, still on his pony and, therefore, towering over the other hobbits.  
The surprise was imaginably big when the hobbits, after their initial shock, recognized no other than Bilbo Baggins, rightful owner of Bag End and all the plunder they were hoping to buy. It took a lot of patience, Tauriel and Kíli fingering their swords and daggers and even more explanations before some of the hobbit’s possessions were handed back. Other buyers were not so willing to accept the return of the Baggins of Bag End and in the end Bilbo was forced to use some of his share of the treasure form under the mountain to buy his own belongings back. Despite his guests’ protests he refused to take any of their money, as he knew neither of them had a lot, considering the circumstances they had left Erebor in. Anyway, he was glad they were with him, as the sudden tranquillity felt a little foreign to him. 

Once his very unexpected and most unwelcome visitors had left, which took way too long for his liking, they carried all their belongings into Bag End, dropping them unceremoniously into the living room. As soon as Tauriel and Kíli got rid of their little bundles, they hurried back outside, eager to help Bilbo unloading his pony. He had, after all, two small chests of gold and silver and there were enough food supplies left to last them a day or two.  
“How does it feel to be back, Master Baggins?” Kíli asked, a bright smile playing around his lips when he noticed the slightly weary way Bilbo eyed him when he stepped closer to the wooden chest.  
“Good, very good” the hobbit sighted contently.  
“But come outside, my friends! The weather is lovely and I have not enjoyed a pipe since we left Bree!”  
Even though Tauriel did not smoke she joined the dwarf and the hobbit on the little bench outside the hobbit hole and while they were animatedly talking about the beginning of their adventure, she took in her surroundings.  
The hobbit had not promised too much. All the flowers and trees were colourful and green and the air was clean. She wasn’t listening to the conversation going on beside her and was startled out of her thoughts when Kíli addressed her.  
“… right, Tauriel?”  
His grin was infectious and she found herself smiling back but had to admit that she had not the faintest idea what he was talking about.  
“Pardon me, I wasn’t listening”, she confessed, still smiling.  
“I was telling our friend that we could go hunting later today to see if we can find something appropriate for a celebratory dinner”, he explained.  
The hobbit beside him seemed very pleased and the elf couldn’t find it in her to object. Besides, it would be nice to stroll around the peaceful area with Kíli. Oh, and maybe they would actually find game, which would provide the first decent dinner since their departure from Rivendell. Nodding her approval she got up, directing a smile into the direction of Bilbo.  
“Shall I start …” she waved her hand towards the door, indicating that she wanted to help. Bilbo shook his head.  
“Oh no, Tauriel! You’re both guests here and we have all had enough trouble for a while. I’ll deal with it later when you’re out hunting.”  
Bilbo was, in fact, very pleased with that plan. While it was possible to buy pork, poultry and beef on the markets of the Shire, venison or turkey or even the odd boar were a welcome variation. Well, and he also needed to prepare rooms for his guests. Or a room? He wondered.  
“I will prepare the guest rooms when you’re out and about”, he stated carefully, shooting a look at Kíli and Tauriel.  
The hobbit could have sworn that he saw a faint blush creeping into Tauriel’s cheeks as her eyes flickered over to Kíli. He seemed to be fighting the reflex of sucking his lower lip into his mouth; something he often did when he was nervous or at a loss for words, as Bilbo had noted throughout their journey.  
Apparently the couple hadn’t discussed that yet. But then, bless him, Bilbo remembered Kíli’s words. Given the time, I think I’d like to court her. Properly, I mean.  
Deciding to make the decision for the couple, Bilbo got up, clapping his hands together in excitement.  
“Actually, let me show them to you first” he announced and, not waiting for them to follow, bustled back into the hole.  
Tauriel felt a now familiar warmth settle in her belly when Kíli jumped from the bench and offered her his hand. Smiling at him she took it and even though it was a little awkward to walk like that she didn’t mind. It was, after all, only a short distance.  
Moments later they found Bilbo eagerly waiting for them to join him.  
“I think, you will like these rooms” he said, apparently very pleased with himself, when he opened the door to one of the many rooms in the corridor they were currently in and the elf and the dwarf followed him into the room.  
It was lovely, to say the least. A window through which the sun was shining and from where Tauriel could make out the distant outline of a forest, a desk right in front of the window and a very comfortable and soft looking bed, big enough to host at least three small elves.  
Clearing his throat in a very characteristic manner, Bilbo moved swiftly towards one of the walls, pushing a doorknob that Tauriel hadn’t spotted before. To her surprise another door opened, which led into another room. It turned out to be a bedroom of the same size, the only difference being a fireplace on the wall facing the door.  
“This is quite… perfect”, Kíli said quietly and Tauriel could only nod in agreement.  
Bilbo’s face broke out into a gigantic smile and, rubbing his hands together in ill-disguised glee, he looked at them with a gleam in his eyes.  
“Brilliant! I will prepare them after tea time” he reassured them. Hoping that Kíli wouldn’t use any of the wooden chests as a doormat, he left the couple to their own devices and happily made his way into the kitchen. 

Hesitantly, Tauriel sat down on the bed. It looks hadn’t betrayed it, as she found it to be incredibly soft and suddenly, she felt the very strong need to throw herself back into the pillows. For a moment she considered the silly notion but before she could act on it, Kíli sat down next to her gingerly. She noticed how his eyes were wistfully wandering towards the pillows as well and, not suspecting the sudden motion, he turned swiftly, tackling her into the pillows.  
Taken aback by his actions, Tauriel yelped in surprise, joining his laughter once the initial shock had worn off. A moment later, when they had both regained their breath, Kíli shifted a little and, suddenly a little shy, placed his head onto her shoulder, sneaking his arm around her waist. Smiling to herself, Tauriel rested her cheek against his head, weaving her the fingers of her left hand through the strong ones resting on her right hipbone.  
“This could be really nice” Kíli murmured, relishing in the feeling of being able to snuggle up to his elf.  
“Perfect even”, she agreed.  
Kíli grinned, moving a little closer in order to press his lips to her neck ever so softly. The feel of his stubbly chin made her giggle but she discovered that it was also oddly pleasant.  
“It’s neither in a mountain, nor in a forest. It’s … in between.” Kíli’s lips were gently brushing against her skin as he spoke, sending shivers down her spine.  
“Hmmm” she hummed in agreement. After enjoying the comfortable silence for a while, she sighted.  
“We should get going, melamin.”  
A considerably big part of her wanted to stay like this for the next couple of weeks but knowing the hobbit, she was quite certain that he’d like to have his dinner secured sooner rather than later. Besides, she was also curious about her new home and she wanted to explore it nearly as badly as she wanted to explore another relatively unfamiliar territory.  
“What does it mean?” Kíli asked again. Slowly getting up she raised an elegant eyebrow at him.  
“Catch me and I might tell you”, she said, darting out of his lose embrace and into the hallway, searching for bow and quiver.  
“Not fair!” He chanted after her when he climbed out of the bed and went after her but he only saw her lightly jumping out of the door, her long red hair dancing behind her. For a moment, Kíli stood still, mesmerized by the sight. It still felt like a dream to him, having her here, being able to call her his. Well, technically, that wasn’t true (Yet! A voice in his head whispered, a tad too hopeful for it not to be dopey) but for once, he decided, he wanted to be ridiculously optimistic and not bother with seeing all the difficulties that were there.  
Grabbing his own bow and quiver he ran after her. 

***  
Bilbo was growing happier every minute. Being home after almost a year of journeying through Middle Earth was wonderful and he enjoyed himself tremendously. Dusting everything from the mantelpiece to the smallest picture frame, he started singing to himself, not noticing that he had picked up the song of the lonely mountain that, long ago, the deceased dwarf king had sung in the very same place he was standing in right now.  
The hobbit’s thoughts wandered from dusting to cooking to preparing the guestrooms and he gave himself a mental pat on the shoulder. He had done a good job, finding the perfect accommodation for his visitors, for there were plenty of guestrooms in Bag End. Oh yes, and he was looking forward to the weeks to come. First of all, he had a feeling that Tauriel and Kíli would provide him with meat whenever he wanted some, secondly, he knew that neither of them minded telling stories (and Bilbo loved stories) and, last but not least, it would be interesting to have an elf and a dwarf here in Hobbiton. 

Unaware of the looks that the hobbits were giving them, Kíli raced after Tauriel till he reached the border of a forest, squinting against the sun in order to get a better look at his surroundings. He could have sworn that she had just been in eyeshot a moment ago but suddenly she had disappeared. A little uncertain now, he called out for her, not noticing how she silently approached him from behind.  
A light touch on his shoulder made him turn around in a hurry, fumbling for his knife. Before he could do much damage, however, Tauriel had him pressed against a tree trunk, the cracked bark pressing into his back.  
“I could have killed you”, she teased, holding him to the tree with both hands raised above his head. To her amusement, Kíli’s mouth turned into a pout. It was quite adorable, really.  
“That was unfair!” He exclaimed stubbornly.  
“Oh really?” Tauriel breathed, crouching down just enough for her to lower her hands, only to reattach them to his shoulders, still pressing him into the tree.  
Agonizingly slow she leaned in.  
“Still unfair?” she murmured before blowing a soft kiss to his lips.  
“Yes” he answered, eagerly trying to lean towards her a little more, her hands still holding him in place.  
“Still?” Her voice grew even softer before she let go off him.  
“I’ll show you unfair” he murmured playfully and desperately smashed his lips into hers. Tauriel could practically feel her heart beating out of her chest and she found herself clinging to him for dear life. Her entire body seemed to fade, the sensation of Kíli being everywhere. His hands were on her back, in her hair, on her ears, lingering on her hips and his soft lips were caressing hers in the most delightful manner. Suddenly, he broke the contact. Ready to complain, Tauriel opened her eyes (when had she closed them?) only to find him grinning at her most cheekily, one eyebrow raised.  
“That, my dear Tauriel, is unfair” he panted before darting further into the woods, laughing when he heard her frustrated groan.  
It took them a while before they actually found game but somehow they managed to shoot a deer. Well, Kíli spotted it and Tauriel shot it, because he had been sneaking his hands into the lower locks of her hair distractedly once they had found relatively hidden spot. Patience had never been one of Kíli’s strengths and he had been bored but when he spotted a barely visible movement, seconds before a deer made an entrance into the little clearing they were watching he was quick to alert Tauriel to it’s presence.  
Not long after that they started their way back to Hobbiton in peaceful silence.  
This time, however, they did notice the queer looks people were giving them and Tauriel even heard one mother tell her three curly-haired, blond children to “come away from that foreign folk”. She decided to ignore it for now, though. It had been quite obvious from Bilbo’s tales that hobbits were not used to strangers and she couldn’t really blame them for the whispers. 

Once they reached Bag End, the deer slung over Kíli’s shoulder (even though it was almost touching the ground), they were greeted by a very relaxed looking Bilbo. His eyes widened in delight when he saw that they had been successful and he promised to prepare a decent meal while they cleaned themselves. Kíli offered to help him skin the dead animal and Tauriel slipped into the bathroom, looking forward to scrubbing the dirt of her knees, because somehow, she had found herself on her knees quite often today. That’s what you get for binding yourself to a dwarf. Better get used to that, she told herself with a smile. 

They spent a very merry evening in the cosy living room of Bag End and Bilbo had indeed prepared a most splendid dinner. After they had eaten, they settled down in comfortable chairs by the fireplace and shared more stories. This time, Tauriel listened carefully, as Kíli was telling a story of how he and his brother had once annoyed their uncle so much that he had actually threatened to shave their heads and he soon had them all laughing hard enough to be crying.  
Bilbo wiped away a stray tear that was making its way down his cheeks. “Good gracious, I would have paid good money to see your uncle with flour all over his hair and beard” he gasped, sending the others into a new fit of giggles.  
Hours later, they bade each other a good night and went into their respective rooms but while Kíli had no trouble falling asleep, Tauriel was restless. She had become so used to sleeping close to the dwarf that she found herself missing his presence. For a moment she debated whether she should sneak into his room or not but then decided that resistance was pretty much futile and she got up, tiptoeing through her room and opening the door to his. He was curled up in the middle of the bed, his back facing her and she could her his soft snores. She had always thought that snoring would annoy her in a partner but somehow it soothed her now. Well, as long as it wasn’t too loud. Quickly, she closed the door and glided over to the bed, barely making a noise.  
Biting her lip she crept under the bedspread and curled around him. When she placed her arm around him he shifted in his sleep and mumbled something unintelligible.  
“Shhhh, ‘s me” she whispered into his hair and soon they were both fast asleep.


	15. Customs and Neighbourhood Troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!   
> I want to thank all of you for your lovely reviews and your delight in this story! I am more than happy to hear that you enjoy this so far and hope that you will stick with me till the end, which is, as I’d like to point out, not even in sight! There are so many things I want to write about and I can’t wait to do so!  
> Before you get to read the chapter, I’d like to say that I have NO idea if there are butchers in Hobbiton but for the sake of the story there are. Also, I have to admit that I see the problem of Tauriel’s height and the hobbit beds. However, Bilbo likes big and comfy beds and Tauriel can fit into them, as long as she doesn’t try to stretch. However, at some point in this story she will get her own, bigger bed. And if you don’t concern yourself with such (minor) issues, forgot what I said and don’t bother to remember it up to the chapter that will deal with the bed thing ;)
> 
> Anyway – enjoy reading this and well… please do leave feedback, I’m always happy to hear form you!

Chapter 15: Customs and Neighbourhood Troubles 

Tauriel woke to the feeling of warm sunlight tickling her nose. Carefully avoiding waking the dwarf who was now sleeping behind her, his face again buried in her hair, she stretched. And immediately encountered a problem. The bed was too small.   
While it hadn’t been a problem to sleep once she had curled herself around Kíli a little, it proved to be a lot more difficult to give her long limbs all the freedom they wanted in the morning. Yet, before she could drag herself into a sitting position, Kíli’s grip on her waist grew stronger.   
“ ‘s t’ early” he mumbled, his voice rather sleepy. Opening one eye he blinked into the sunlight.   
Tauriel stifled a laugh at his grumpiness. She should have known that, given the opportunity, Kíli would turn into a terrible grumpy thing in the morning. Somehow, it fit his personality, she thought. Turning her body so she could face him she gave him a wry smirk.   
“Ah, but it’s a lovely day and the sun is already up!” she exclaimed, pressing a tender kiss to his nose.   
“Mpf” was all the response she got and this time she really did laugh out loud.   
Her twinkling laugher finally managed to pull Kíli from his sleepy state.   
“What are you laughing at, elf?” he shot back with no real venom in his voice. She raised an eyebrow at him.  
“You, Master Dwarf” she answered.   
Kíli really didn’t want to move. The bed was comfortable, it was very cosy, not to mention warm, and he would gladly spent eternity sharing the morning sun in bed with his elf.   
“I can do what ever I want, I am a prince”, he informed her with as much dignity he could muster, when she removed his arm from her and got up.   
“Is that so, your grumpiness?” Tauriel asked.   
Kíli couldn’t help the snort that escaped him. She was more than a match for him, really. Before he could complain any further, Tauriel took hold of the blanket and pulled it form him.   
“Up!” she commanded. With a sigh he obeyed, eyeing her long red hair wistfully when she turned around to look out of the window. Apparently he had forgotten to draw the curtains but it didn’t bother him much.   
“Tauriel?” he asked hesitantly, painfully aware of how small and shy he suddenly sounded while he was picking at the hem of his shirt. Confused by his tone she turned around, only to find him looking at her with those big brown eyes, his cheeks a little pinker than normal.   
“Yes, melamin?” She was curious what made him speak in such a delicate voice. While he had first been looking into her eyes he now became very interested in the wooden floorboards beneath his feet.  
“Can I… Can… Would you… allowmetobrushyourhair?” he mumbled very quiet and very quickly, his cheeks growing even redder. Tauriel could all but feel the dimples appearing on her cheeks when she tried not to grin at his display. She didn’t know a lot about dwarven culture but she was aware of their fondness for hair and suspected that it might mean a great deal if she let him brush her hair.   
Still smiling she knelt in front of him and gently put her index finger under his chin, lifting his head so she could meet his gaze.   
“Why wouldn’t I let you?” she asked carefully, knowing that she should probably find out what exactly it would mean because his antics were speaking volumes to her.   
Kíli was a little surprised at her question. Of course he hadn’t assumed that she would be aware of these things but for some reason he hadn’t expected her to answer his question with a question. Giving her an uncertain smile he took a deep breath.  
“Hair is very… important to us dwarves” he began. Tauriel nodded encouragingly, debating whether or not to put her forehead against his but finally deciding against it when one of his hands found her cheek, tenderly caressing it with his thumb. He seemed to become oddly fascinated by the movement and was clearly avoiding an answer.  
“Kíli?” she asked. He bit his lip, apparently more flustered than he had ever been around her. Swallowing hard he willed himself into an explanation.   
“Letting me brush your hair would be considered a great intimacy among my people”, he said, his voice growing stronger with every word. “Brushing someone’s hair is equal to expressing a great deal of care… erm… love” he corrected himself, “and well, after that there are… more things.”   
Tauriel’s smile made his heart sing. She didn’t laugh it him, or discourage him, she simply looked at him with a question in her eyes. What other things?   
She didn’t have to ask.   
“There is also braiding”, he continued, distractedly reaching for a strand of her long her with his other hand. She gave a light nod.   
“And, well…” he seemed to grow a little restless again, his hand letting go of her hair and finding her other cheek. “The highest form of admiration and displaying affection in such a way would be braiding beads into your hair.”   
Tauriel nodded again, expecting him to relax a little now that he had enlightened her about the customs of his folk but something else seemed to be on his mind that made her reach out to him, cupping on of his hands against her cheek.   
“What else is there?” she asked.   
Kíli bit his lip but then a newfound determination found its way onto his face.   
“The beads… we only do that for family or you know … when we are courting someone.”   
Tauriel didn’t know how to respond to that. Somewhere, deep down, she should have known, she told herself. And in a way she was quite glad that he had brought up the topic of customs and relationships because even though they had both been quite clear about their feelings for each other (well, and their actions did speak for themselves), it was time to think about customs, what they would mean to them.   
Not receiving any kind of reaction from her, Kíli grew restless again.  
“I… wouldn’t do that of course, if you didn’t want me to” he declared hastily, his hands still cupping her face but she could feel a nervous twitch in one of his thumbs.  
“Oh Kíli,” she murmured. “How often do I have to tell you that I have no intentions of ever leaving this behind?”   
She hoped he understood the implication but if his blinding smile was anything to go by he did. Pulled out of his shy and somewhat serious mood, he swooped down to her (if you could call it that) and closed the already small gap between their lips with a smack. Much to her amusement he seemed to be too excited to deepen the kiss and moments later he was all but hopping through the room, searching for a comb. Tauriel shook her head with a fond smile on her lips.   
“Wait here, you silly dwarf”, she said, getting up from the floor and vanishing into her room. Kíli didn’t really register that she was gone up to the moment she pressed a comb into his hand and knelt down in front of him, facing the window.   
Carefully, oh so carefully, he began to move the comb through her hair, not uttering a single word. Tauriel closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling of his fingers gently moving through her hair, sometimes stopping to massage her scalp a little or to untangle a strand of long her. She was quite sure she had never felt quite so … worshipped in her entire life. He didn’t need to say it, she knew it from the delicacy he proved to possess. She didn’t know how long they head been sharing a quiet moment when Kíli cleared his throat.  
“What about you? Elves I mean” he asked, never stopping to brush her hair with gentle movements.   
Now it was Tauriel’s turn to blush and she was quite grateful that Kíli couldn’t see her face from behind her back.   
“We don’t have many courting customs, it’s mostly done in private and I have never concerned myself with it. Not much. But well… “, She found herself hesitating in slight embarrassment, “… in order to be married or for a marriage to be consummated… I, er, I mean the bride, would have to be… deflowered”.  
She felt Kíli’s movements slow down and half-expected the comb to clatter to the ground but he picked up his pace again, seemingly searching for an answer. After a moment of slightly awkward silence, she heard him take a deep breath.  
“This is actually not very different from how we… do it”.   
Kíli was glad to notice that his voice was a lot more stable than he felt right now. Obviously they had to discuss this because he had not the faintest clue of elven custom, especially when it came to relationships but somehow the topic of sharing a bed for other purposes then sleeping … Well. He certainly didn’t consider that an area of expertise. Apparently Tauriel didn’t either though, which made him feel a little better.   
“What do you mean?” she finally asked, glad she could focus on the little garden she could see from the window.   
“Nothing happens till we’re married. Females are rare among dwarves and they get to decide the pace of things.”   
“So… you never…?” Tauriel couldn’t bring herself to finish the question, even though she should have been able to. She was, after all over 600 years old and certainly no stranger to desire. At least she stopped being one a few weeks ago when her dwarf came into her life, turning everything upside down.   
“No”, he answered simply.  
“Neither have I” she said, relieved to end the conversation.  
“Beside… No dwarrrow with only the slightest bit of intelligence would have me.”   
She couldn’t help a little laugh escaping her and she felt herself relaxing when Kíli chuckled as well.   
Not long after that he handed her the comb and took a few steps around her in order to come face to face with her.  
“I am honoured that you let me brush your hair” he exclaimed in an overly formal manner and Tauriel felt another smile tugging at her lips.   
“The pleasure was all mine” she assured him and he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She couldn’t help the curious hand wandering into her hair and to her delight her fingertips came in touch with two very delicate braids he had woven into her hair. They started above her ears and were joined at the back of her head. Moving down a little further she felt an unfamiliar clasp holding them together. Shooting a confused look at Kíli she waited for an explanation.   
“Oh… that. It’s one of my own. It’s just a hair clip but I had to fix them somehow. I hope that’s okay?”   
Even though Tauriel’s smile was answer enough she nodded, pulling him closer to her and allowing her arms to sneak around his waist. Slowly, they both leaned in, finding each other’s lips. Kíli was sure that he would never get tired of the way her soft lips felt against his. Soon, the gentle movements were becoming less gentle and more passionate and, careful not to undo the braids in her hair, Kíli moved his hands to both sides of her face. Quite by accident, one of his hands slipped and he ended up stroking feather light lines on her neck. He loved how Tauriel’s fingers curled into his shirt when he removed his other hand from her cheek and his fingers found the tip of her ear. An involuntary moan escaped her and suddenly breathing was becoming harder and harder for Kíli.   
A pleasant shiver ran over his body when one of her hands let go of his shirt, her elegant fingers sneaking into the deep neckline. The caress of her cool fingers against his warm skin made him go weak in the knees and he was quite sure that his blood was done circulating normally.   
Neither of them knew how much time had passed before a soft knock made them pull apart, breathing hard and still lost in each others gaze.   
“Um… I am sorry to interrupt” the hobbit on the other side of the door was clever, Kíli mused, but he couldn’t reply, for Bilbo carried on a moment later. “But Kíli, you have received a raven.”  
Kíli rushed towards the door, leaving Tauriel behind, who was still trying to catch her breath.   
“And what a grumpy one it is!” the hobbit added.  
Before Kíli yanked the door open he looked back at Tauriel with an apologetic smile but she waved her hand, indicating that it way okay.   
“I’ll be with you in a moment” she reassured him and before she could say anything else, Kíli was following the hobbit into the living room.

***

A while later, when Tauriel had slipped into an old and hardly worn green dress, she joined Kíli and Bilbo, finding Bilbo fussing about a kettle and Kíli holding the letter with shaking hands. She was quite sure she saw tears glistening in his eyes but thought it better not to mention it.   
“What news?” she asked, hoping for good ones.   
“’s all fine” Kíli murmured, the saddest smile possible forming on his face.   
“I just really miss him. We have never been separated for such a long time and while I am more than grateful to be here with you, both of you, in fact … it’s still strange and new to me.”   
Neither Tauriel nor Bilbo could claim to know the feeling but they did their best to cheer him up. For Bilbo that meant preparing a generous second breakfast and Tauriel sat down beside Kíli, resting a comforting hand on his leg.   
“He says he is glad that you’re here, though” he informed the elf and her shy smile made the ache in his heart a little more bearable.   
After extending Fíli’s greetings to Bilbo and informing his companions that a messenger from the Lonely Mountain was on his way, Kíli and Tauriel enjoyed their first and Bilbo’s second breakfast and soon, the dwarf and the elf excused themselves, leaving the hobbit alone for a few hours, promising to be back for tea, for Bilbo seemed especially fond of tea. And indeed, his four o’clock tea had been the meal most sorely missed by the hobbit. Therefore, he decided, it was completely reasonable to take great care of enjoying it to the extreme, now that he was back in Bag End.   
While Bilbo spent the next hours answering old letters and making a short trip to the market, Kíli and Tauriel set out to see if there was work to be done.   
Bilbo’s trip to the market turned out to be an annoyance to many of his neighbours and while most of them talked behind his back (and would continue to do so for the rest of his life), a few of them, the old Gaffer, his gardener, among them, were glad to see Master Baggins return.   
Trying to keep uncomfortable conversations about his adventures to a minimum, he stocked up on vegetables and allowed himself to buy some of the more exquisite tobacco leaf. He had planned to end his errands with a well-deserved ale at the Green Dragon but when he noticed people were trying to follow him, evidently hoping to get a story or two, he decided it could wait. Even though he knew he couldn’t escape forever, he didn’t feel quite ready yet. In a few days or weeks, he would gladly share his adventures with whoever was willing to listen but for now, he found the comforting silence of Bag End much more inviting. 

Meanwhile, Kíli and Tauriel were growing used to the voiced behind their backs. Most hobbits of the Shire had seen a dwarf before as the Blue Mountains weren’t too far from the borders, but elves were a far less common sight, for hobbits preferred the comforts of home to wandering in the woods, searching for elves and other wondrous things.   
Soon, it became only too obvious that neither of the two smiths wanted Kíli’s help, even though hobbits knew about the talent most dwarves possessed when it came to working in a forge and neither healers nor butchers wanted an elf involved in their respective business.   
A little deflated at the subtle hostility and mistrust that seemed to follow them wherever they went, they ended up in the woodland they had visited the day before. Kíli seemed nervous and his jittery movements were having a similar effect on Tauriel.   
Sinking down to the ground, his back leaning against a big oak tree, he huffed.  
“I hate being idle”, he complained, reaching for a fallen branch and a knife. Not knowing what to do with himself he began to carve random patterns into the wood and Tauriel, who sat down next to him, found herself oddly fascinated by the craftsmanship.  
“You can’t blame them though, can you?” she started. While she understood and shared his frustration she also saw the reasons behind the hobbits’ behaviour. They were not used to strangers in the Shire, especially when they were painfully obviously not hobbits and, as they had come asking for work and offering their help, were apparently planning to stay for a while. Hobbits liked visitors and stories and some of them were more curious than they would have liked to admit but they were still a gentle folk.   
“I guess not”, Kíli admitted, though he didn’t seem too happy about it. “Still, you’d think they’d be grateful for a pair of extra hands.”  
Tauriel was about to agree when she remembered how she had first reacted to the dwarves in the dungeons of Mirkwood. It seemed like something from another world but the memory was still on her mind.   
“Compared to the mistrust that runs between our two races… this is not too bad”, she finally reasoned. And Kíli nodded in agreement.   
“Thorin would never allow anyone near his tools in the forge, especially not someone who is not a dwarf”, Kíli said, accepting her reasoning.   
“Still, I don’t like this much either” Tauriel admitted, wondering why she hadn’t brought some arrows with her that needed fixing. Probably something she could do tomorrow, she thought. Thinking of arrows gave her an idea, though.   
“You’re an archer”, she said. The moment the words had left her mouth she felt stupid. That may not have been the smoothed conversation starter, she thought, when she caught Kíli’s eyes, confusion all over his face.   
“Yes?” he answered.   
“And from what I saw I’d say a fairly decent one” she elaborated, pleased to see the proud little grin on his face.  
“Best shot in the Blue Mountains”, he confirmed proudly. Then he shrugged, adding “Then again, there are not many archers among my kin.”  
Tauriel smiled. “Would you like to learn some things about elven archery?” she proposed.   
For a moment, Kíli seemed to be uncertain about how to react to that question, his face a mixture of surprise, hope and maybe even a tiny amount of hurt. When he understood that she meant no harm, he nodded eagerly.   
“Might as well do something useful with the time, eh?” he asked, knife forgotten in his hand.   
Tauriel, glad he understood her intentions, nodded.   
“Besides… I thought you could maybe teach me some things about the fighting techniques of dwarves?”   
She sounded hopeful. Way too hopeful, even but she couldn’t care less. She was well aware of the fact that she shouldn’t be offering to train a dwarf, nor should she be asking him for advice but she supposed that here, in the Shire, all those rules and norms were far from important, let alone valid. Nobody was here to stop them.   
“I’d like that” the dwarf beside her answered, a genuine smile on his face.   
It had been ages since he had used a weapon, both for training and to defend himself and while he did not particularly fancy needing it for a battle, he certainly didn’t mind some friendly sparring, especially not with his elf. He would never say it out loud but in the privacy of his mind a fantasy had developed that involved some fighting with training swords, a lonely place in the woods, a very pretty, very wanton red haired elf and himself. He bit his lip and forced the images form his mind, reminding himself that he shouldn’t let things get out of hand. They may be running away from customs but that didn’t mean that he could ignore them completely. And he wouldn’t. As soon as he could get his hands on something other than wood he would try to persuade one of the smiths to let him use his forge. Because while he knew whom he wanted to court and that it would be welcome, he was lacking something very central. Courting beads.   
Deciding that the matter could wait he got up, offering Tauriel his hand.  
“Bilbo will be waiting for us” he explained happily and pulled her to her feet with as much gallantry as he could muster.

The hobbit was a little scandalized when he heard about his visitors’ misfortune but encouraged their idea of training each other. Even though he was sure there would be no need for weapons in the Shire he understood that it would be silly to become unguarded and waste years of training. Besides, he had no idea how else he could keep the two busy because while he was more than content with his slow and comfortable life at Bag End, he knew that the others needed a certain amount of adventure and excitement. 

That evening Tauriel didn’t wait for Kíli to fall asleep before she slipped under the covers. Shortly before she drifted off to sleep, Kíli’s hand caressing lazy circles over her stomach, an unbidden thought came to her mind. There was one thing she still hadn’t told Kíli and it made her stomach turn. Gandalf had warned her not to keep her fate from her lover but somehow she just couldn’t bring herself to burden him with that knowledge just yet. Willing the thought from her mind she concentrated on the feeling of his hands on her body and, for a split second, wished that modesty had not made her put on the light sleeping gown she was wearing.   
She could feel Kíli’s breath becoming more even and his other hand brushed her hair away from her neck.  
“Stop thinking” he murmured, his lips pressing a soft kiss to the back of her neck.   
Sighting happily she pressed her back closer to his chest and was pleasantly surprised when the hand caressing her stomach moved a little further upwards, drawing her body even closer to his.


	16. Balance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'd like to apologize for the long wait! I don't usually do that but I had a friend over for a couple of days and I think I may have written too furiously for a while because my stupid hand won't stop hurting and it's making typing rather slow and somewhat painful -.-  
> Anyway, next chapter outline is already written and I hope I'll be able to finish it over the weekend :)  
> Enjoy what's to come!   
> PS: Thank you SO MUCH for all the kudos, the views and the comments, they do, quite simply, make my day a lot brighter!  
> PPS: By the way, I'd like to apologize for typos. I am very bad at reading stuff on computer screens and don't really feel like printing all this. So, big big sorry, I know they are a bother and express my deepest regret. Well, I'm not that sorry, it's my eyes that should be ashamed. Anyway, sorry about that!

Chapter 16: Balance 

Kíli couldn’t remember the last time he woke up before the person he was sharing a bed with. It had always been Fíli or whomever he was traveling with and lately Tauriel had been the one to wake up first. Obviously, there had been a few times in Rivendell but that was different because now he was healthy and didn’t spend all day in bed, trying to sleep. Deciding to make the most of the situation, he snuggled up to her as best as he could, considering that he only reached up to her shoulder. Well, and that was only when he was making a point of standing impossible straight, almost on the tips of his toes and she wasn’t paying attention to her position.   
Careful not to wake her with a sudden movement, he inched closer and closer to her and when he was finally close enough he gently kissed the tip of her ear. To his immense surprise, Tauriel hummed in her sleep, shifting a little closer to him and Kíli could have sworn he saw the beginning of a content smile forming on her lips. Fascinated by the reaction, he leaning down again and repeated the action.   
Her ear was softer than he had initially expected. While he had never given ears much thought, especially not elven ears, they now provided a never-ending source of entertainment. Hoping it wouldn’t wake her, he replaced his lips with a teasing finger and started caressing her ear from tip to bottom. A shiver ran through her entire body and he couldn’t prevent a sharp intake of breath when her body accidentally came in touch with his crotch.   
Sensing that she was about to wake up, he withdrew his hand from her ear and went back to holding her close, trying to memorize the feeling. Before he could get comfortable again, though, she stirred and spoke in a soft voice.  
“Don’t stop.”  
She sounded shy, even to herself, but she was also curious. Her whole body was tingling and she knew her heart was racing. His touch was doing things to her she had never imagined she would, no could, feel. A little startled by her voice, Kíli moved back into his previous position, his head propped up on one hand and the other tracing the outline of Tauriel’s ear.   
She tried to lie still as long as she could but it was getting harder and harder to control herself. Enjoyable as Kíli’s clever finger on her ear was, she wanted to kiss him, to feel his heart beating in his chest, his warmth on her body. The thought of having him above her sent a spark of desire towards a certain area of her body and without thinking, she was turning around, accidentally knocking him off his arm in the process. Within seconds he had his head back on his hand and was trying not to lose his balance while all but staring at her. Her breath was coming fast and Kíli felt like something was strangling him in a weirdly pleasant way when he noticed how blown her pupils were and the delightful shade of pink her cheeks had taken. Not able to stop himself, he lowered his head, claiming her lips in a bruising kiss. Tauriel couldn’t really explain what led her to do it, but once his lips were on hers, she tugged not so gently at his shirt and, losing his balance again, he landed half on top of her. Both of them gasped for air, Kíli shifted a little and before either of them could grasp a clear thought, Tauriel’s hands were on his shoulders holding him down, his hands in her hair and their lips were engaged in a battle neither of them was willing to end.   
Tauriel could feel warm and strangely reassuring dwarf hands running through her hair and down to her neck and while Kíli seemed scared of crushing her beneath his weight, she had to admit she rather enjoyed the feeling of his sturdy upper half on hers. A heart was beating a fast tattoo against her ribs and she wasn’t sure whether it was her own or his. Focussing on the glorious feeling of Kíli’s body on hers she allowed her hands to move downwards, inching closer to the place where the hem of Kíli’s shirt and his smallclothes had created an opportunity for her to start a careful investigation of his body. When her hands fell on a patch of warm, naked skin, she all but felt a low moan rumble in his chest and couldn’t help the tiny gasp that escaped her. Becoming more daring, she moved her hand a little further but before she could start exploring, his body froze under her touch.   
“What is it, melamin?” she asked, her lips brushing his.   
Taking a shuddering breath he opened his eyes, only to find her green ones looking up at him with worry.   
“Scars! I need to get used to the scars”, Kíli blurted out before Tauriel’s hand could slip further under his tunic. Every fibre of his being longed for her touch but somehow, he couldn’t. The mere thought of the scars on his abdomen gave him shudders and while she was obviously surprised, his outburst had the desired effect and her hand returned to safe territory, drawing lazy patterns on the fabric over his back.   
“You will always be beautiful to me”, Tauriel said after a moment of silence, her eyes boring into his. Kíli swallowed hard.  
“I love you”, he breathed, a sweet desperation in his voice.   
“I love you too” Tauriel replied, carefully guiding him back down to her, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Movements that started out as passionate, driven by desire, changed into gentler caresses and tenderness. 

***

When the midday sun stood high in the sky, burning down on Hobbiton, a mismatched pair could be seen making their way towards the woods. Both, elf and dwarf, were armed with bows and arrows and a juvenile spring was only too obvious in the latter’s steps. Kíli had been overjoyed when Tauriel had handed him his bow. He had assumed that it hadn’t survived the battle and with more pressing issues on his mind he hadn’t given it much thought. But Tauriel had seen to it. The bow had been in a horrible condition but apparently, she had taken the time to get it fixed, or fix it herself, as Kíli suspected. She even found it a new string, which was almost of similar making to the old one that had been cut at some point during the battle. Kíli didn’t remember it clearly but he was vaguely aware of a memory that made him believe that an orc or a goblin had chosen to attack once he had been out of arrows. He hadn’t had time to draw his sword yet so all he could to was try and defend himself with the bow. It hadn’t been very successful and had ended in his bow being torn away from him and a blade buried in his stomach. When Tauriel had handed him the fixed bow, he had been speechless at first. After a moment of silence during which he desperately tried to find the right words he had kissed her like his life depended on it and then proceeded to declare he’d always be at her service. While she didn’t doubt his sincerity she didn’t miss the mischievous glint in his eyes and it made her smile despite herself.   
Soon after, they had packed a bundle with food (Bilbo had nearly forced them to take it) and promised to find something edible while out in the forest. Bilbo had clearly been delighted and promised to wait for their return before he prepared dinner. 

It turned out that Kíli was quite an eager student. Tauriel had to admit that she found his determination both, impressive and adorable. She had spent the better part of the early afternoon trying to teach him how to shoot from a tree and now he was doing his best to show her exactly how good he had been paying attention. For once in his life he had listen to every single word his teacher had said, looked at every step she made and asked question after question and now he was carefully balancing on the lower branches of a tree, his tongue peeking out between his lips in concentration. Taking a deep breath he narrowed his eyes in concentration and fired. The arrow hit the target, an old pillow, dead centre but before Kíli had the time to admire his aim, he lost his balance and after a futile attempt to regain it he landed on the ground in a tumble of arms and legs, letting out an almost girly squeal in the process.   
Tauriel didn’t know whether to laugh or to be worried. Kíli didn’t move but he was definitely breathing. She could see the heavy movements of his chest.  
“Kíli?” she asked, kneeling down beside him, her hand on his shoulder.   
He opened one eye, looking at her, obviously torn between amusement and embarrassment.   
“Can we not tell Bilbo?” he pleaded. Tauriel concluded that the only thing injured was his pride and allowed herself an amused snort.   
“I think next time we’ll practice getting down gracefully”, she teased him, barely supressing her laughter.   
“At least I hit the target” he defended himself.   
“Pretty decent shot as well”, she answered, deciding to humour him. At that, Kíli’s pout turned into a brilliant smile and in the blink of an eye he had untangled his limbs and was leaning in to kiss her, making use of her kneeling position by getting up on his feet, crouching down in front of her. Like this he was able to kiss her without stretching his body or pulling her down.   
Enjoying the gentle movements of his lips against hers, Tauriel began to forget the world around them, happily sighing into the kiss. Kíli seemed to take this as a signal, brining his hands into her hair and pulling her a tad closer. What could have been a romantic moment suddenly turned into something very different when Kíli shifted, fell into her and knocked them both to the ground. A breathless laugh escaped Tauriel.   
“Silly, unbalanced dwarf” she giggled.   
Kíli raised an eyebrow at her, a smirk beginning to form on his face.  
“Maybe I am, but I am your silly, unbalanced dwarf” he purred, his hands still in her hair. When she inhaled before answering, he became very aware of their proximity and the world seemed to close in around them.   
“And I wouldn’t change it for the world”, Tauriel finally said before Kíli couldn’t resist the temptation any longer and leaned down again. 

***

The next three weeks passed much like the first few days. Bilbo would go about his usual business, Kíli and Tauriel shared many hours of lazy cuddles and tender kisses and probably even more hours out in the forest, training with both, bows and swords. One particularly rainy day in the first week Kíli had spend the entire afternoon, as well as the night, carving two simple yet thought-out training swords from two thick oaken branches he had taken home a few days before.   
He had also taken the time to answer his brother, telling him how things were going in the Shire. Many words were written about the hobbits, Bilbo, the food, a few on his training and none about his and Tauriel’s relationship. Of course Kíli was aware of the fact that he’d have to tell his brother sooner or later but he decided that he would rather do that in person. Even though he did not exactly fancy revealing where he and Tauriel stood he knew that he wasn’t good at keeping secrets from his brother. So the only thing he could do was wait and hope that Fíli would take his time before paying him a visit.   
Then another letter had arrived during the second week.   
Apparently his brother had sent word to the Blue Mountains in order to inform their mother of her sons’ destiny and now Kíli found himself in a rather unfortunate position. Dís scolded Kíli for not writing to her sooner but expressed her relief about his improving condition. She also hinted (very obviously) that he should visit her in the Blue Mountains before she began her journey towards Erebor in three months time. On the one hand he would have loved to visit his mother but on the other hand, there was, again, the matter of Tauriel. Telling Fíli was one thing but telling his mother… He’d rather face an army of giant spiders on his own than tell his mother that he fully intended to court an elf, no matter how much she would object. And object she would. She would probably forgive him after a while but being Thorin’s sister she grew up on tales about the arrogance and selfishness of elves. He postponed the problem by telling his mother that he considered visiting but needed some more time before he felt comfortable to travel on his own. He felt a little bad about lying but he told himself that it was only half a lie because it did make sense to get back into training before he went on the short journey. Still, he promised to visit her before the end of August, which left him about six weeks.   
He might have been a little too optimistic but he hoped that by then he would have figured out how to explain his relationship to his mother. 

***

The day after his mother’s letter arrived started out as almost every day had. The sun woke the sleeping couple in the early hours of the morning, they spent a generous amount of time cuddling and, to Tauriel’s secret delight, Kíli had grown a bit bolder and was not too shy to let his hands wander a little more than before. His touch was undeniably thrilling but as much as she enjoyed being touched, she desperately wanted to touch as well. It was torture enough to know that they had inflicted a certain amount of chastity onto themselves and while she didn’t regret it, she wouldn’t have minded to take things a little further. Yet, respect forbid it, so she contented herself with caressing every bit of skin she could reach, running her hands over his torso, wondering what it would feel like without a shirt. She knew she wasn’t being reasonable but sometimes it wasn’t easy to be over 600 years old and to find oneself driven by desire. Thankfully, she wasn’t alone on this because as much as Kíli flinched when he feared her hands would wander under his shirt, his body betrayed him. In a way it made her giddy and a little breathless to feel his arousal pressed against her own body. But this was something they had to agree on and something they were going to take their time for. What were a few months compared to 600 years? Well, she hoped it wouldn’t bee too long. Because with nothing else to do and the many solitary hours they spend in each others company… She liked to believe that anything could happen.

Again, the midday sun saw them off towards the woods, this time equipped with their wooden swords. They had decided to give sparring a try, both of them secretly tired of concentrated training and calculated moves. Arriving at one of their preferred clearings, they threw their unnecessary luggage to the ground and Kíli grabbed one of the water skins. He knew that there was a stream near by and while the other water skin was filled with fresh water, he had forgotten to fill the other. Knowing that they’d need it sooner or later he told Tauriel that he’d be back in a minute and made his way towards the stream. It was flowing faster than usual, thanks to last nights rain, and for a moment Kíli was a little worried about not finding a convenient spot at the river bank but after searching for a moment, he found a broken tree trunk lying almost entirely over the water. Very carefully he balanced on the piece of wood, recalling Tauriel’s words, reminding him not to lose focus whenever he was walking on slippery or otherwise dangerous territory. Still, he was glad when he had successfully accomplished his goal and was on his way back to Tauriel.   
When she saw him a smirk spread across her face.  
“Without falling?” she asked teasingly.   
Kíli glared at her playfully. Throwing the water skin to their other things, he lunged for his sword, Tauriel mirroring his actions.   
“You will pay for your teasing”, he announced before they began circling each other.   
“Oh, will I?” she shot back, her eyes never losing focus.   
For a mere second Kíli’s concentration was disturbed when he heard children’s laughter not too far off and Tauriel saw the opportunity for an attack. Quickly she jumped at him and it was sheer luck that made Kíli twirl around, blocking the blow by instinct.  
“That all you can do, elf?” he asked with a devious grin.   
Tauriel knew he was going to try to charm her or to tease her long enough for her to lose focus but she wasn’t going to give in.   
“Don’t want to wear you out so soon” she shot back, parrying his next blow.   
“Wear me out? You know nothing about dwarven stamina!” he exclaimed, attacking in a blur of grey and blue, wild brown hair flying around his head. Tauriel had been expecting the move however, and even though Kíli was quick, Tauriel was quicker. She danced away from his wooden blade with ease, always remembering what he had told her about footwork. Always keep moving. Of course she knew that but hearing it form him and practicing it in a fight with swords was something entirely different and delightfully new. She knew he was trying to corner her against a tree and was fighting for a similar outcome. After half an hour of merciless sparring and teasing, Tauriel nearly got through his defence but again the dwarf was too quick. He feigned an attack from the right hand side but instead he whirled around the tree they were combatting next to and attacked her from behind. Finally not anticipating the direction the blow came from, she lost her sure footing for a spit second and in the blink of an eye it was over. Kíli had her cornered against the tree trunk, a wild, triumphant grin on his face, his wooded sword resting against her neck.   
“Got you” he panted, clearly exhausted but thrilled by the victory.   
Tauriel hung her head in defeat but he saw the little smile tugging at the corner of her lips.  
“I yield”, she finally declared, dropping the sword and sinking down to her knees.   
Kíli removed the sword simultaneously and let it clutter to the ground, stepping closer to her. Gently he placed his hand under her chin, lifting her head. He was a few inches taller than her now.  
“I would never hurt such a beautiful woman”, he said, suddenly serious. Tauriel smiled up at him and he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Her arms were wound around his midsection and his hands were on the familiar path to her hair when they heard it. 

Shouting, a terrified scream and a loud splash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I seem to be rather fond of people pressing soft kisses to other people's lips. But hey, I'm a girl, I think I'm allowed a bit of repetitive fluff ;)   
> Question for you (apart form the usual request for feedback and your thoughts): Would you like to me to try my hand a writing some more mature stuff? I have been dancing around it for a while now (as you might have noticed) and I'm not sure if you'd be in for it.


	17. Welcome to the Shire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favourite couple is finally worming its way into the hobbits' hearts!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the read! I have a pretty good idea of what is going to happen in the next few chapter and I can only say... I can't wait! I hope you stay with me and enjoy the ride ;)

Chapter 17: Welcome to the Shire

 

Tauriel knew that dwarves did not particularly like water but she wasn’t the slightest bit surprised when Kíli all but ripped his boots and his tunic from his body before diving into the stream in order to fish out the little hobbit who was desperately trying to hold on to the tree trunk he had used as a bridge earlier.

Not wasting a second, she went over to the older child, a girl, who was currently crying big, silent tears, little fingers pointing at the spot where her brother had fallen in. Crouching down in front of the little thing she attempted to sooth her, promising that Kíli would get the other one out. Once the child was taking deep breaths, tears still streaming down her cheeks, she hurried over to the stream, hoping to help and not one moment too early!

From the looks of it, the stream was too deep for Kíli to find sure footing and he was struggling to hold the little hobbit above the water. Very carefully, he moved closer towards the riverbank, gladly handing over the dripping, gasping hobbit. For a moment the hobbit girl stopped pointing at the stream, holding her hands out towards Tauriel, demanding to hold her little brother. But before Tauriel could pass the crying child over, the girl’s hands fell back to the ground and her eyes widened in new horror. The boy still in her hands the elf whipped around, only to see the tree trunk floating down the stream and a mop of dark hair vanishing under the water.

For a second, the world stood still. She was back on the battlefield, digging through endless piles of corpses, exhausted tears spilling down her cheeks, muttering his name over and over again.

Finally passing the child over to his sister, she turned back to the stream, a cold panic reaching for her heart with greedy fingers.

“Kíli!”

She hated how much her voice was shaking and how close to breaking it sounded. Before she had a chance to reach the stream and have a closer look, a gasping and coughing dwarf appeared on the surface, all but fighting his way back to the safe riverbank.

Not being able to think straight, she simply reacted, pulling him to the shore, desperately trying to ignore that horrible little voice in her head that was telling her that she was too late, that he’d not regain his breath, that he’d die here, suffocated by the river.

Once he was out of the water, Kíli rolled onto his stomach, coughing up what felt like half of the stream. It hurt more than he thought possible and at some point he was sure he was going to cough up his lungs. More and more water kept coming and he felt uncomfortably dizzy. His blood rushing in his ears didn’t really help the situation.

Tauriel didn’t know what to do, apart from starring at him, hands helplessly fallen to her sides. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kíli turned over again, taking deep, unsteady breaths. It took Tauriel by surprise when one of his hands roughly grabbed one of hers, blindly pulling her over to him. Almost gently, he pressed her shaking hand to the spot over his heart, hoping it would help to calm her down, for he had seen the panic on her face and it was something he didn’t want to see again any time soon. The strong, if a little too fast, heartbeat did calm her and she felt the panic subside.

“’s okay” he rasped, “’m okay.”

Kíli felt is breathing pattern slowly going back to normal and forced his eyes to focus on Tauriel’s face before him. He saw how his heartbeat succeeded in calming her and even though it might not have been the right time he felt an oddly warm and satisfactory rush of pride going through his body. While he may not be able to save people without getting in harms way himself, he was still very much able to save them, to help them, in the first place.

Mindful of the soft, pale hand that was still pressed to his chest he sat up, offering Tauriel a weak smile.

“It’s all fine”, he repeated before his lips found hers. He could feel how erratic her breath was still coming but she relaxed into his touch soon enough and, completely forgetting the hobbit children that were likely starring at them with wide eyes, Kíli deepened the kiss, needing to reassure her (and maybe himself a little) that he was really okay, that he was there.

“Are you a dwarf?” a curious, little voice came suddenly from his right hand side.

Pulling away from Tauriel a little, he pressed his forehead against hers, cupping her face with his hands.

“Well… are you?”

“Yeah”, he answered, not looking at the child but a small smile was pulling at his lips.

“Dwarfs can’t kiss elves”, the little girl informed him and this time he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. Turning his head he focussed on the hobbits.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, elves and dwarfs don’t like each other.”

The sentence was delivered with a certainty that only children can muster and to his delight Kíli saw that even Tauriel was starting to smile.

“Well,” he began, not sure how he was going to give the girl an appropriate answer. “Well, this is a special elf, you see?” he finally told the children and their eyes grew even wider.

“Do lots of dwarfs have a special elf?” the little boy asked, obviously very fascinated by the idea.  
At this, both, Kíli and Tauriel laughed out loud.

“Oh, I very much doubt that you will find another special elf here in Middle Earth” he explained, shooting a grin at Tauriel. He was immediately rewarded with a raised eyebrow, but he saw that she was, again, fighting a smile. He secretly loved that he had that effect on her.  

“But that’s very sad for the other dwarfs, right?” the girl pressed on and Kíli looked around to Tauriel helplessly.

“Not really”, the elf finally began to explain and the girl seemed to be practically in awe with her. “Because Kíli is also a very special dwarf.”

Both children looked at them for a moment and at least the girl seemed satisfied. The boy, on the other hand, seemed to think about what Tauriel had said. Then, suddenly, his eyebrows shot up.

“But you can’t be a real dwarf!” he exclaimed, his little fist extended towards Kíli.

His sister blushed and tried to slap away his hand but didn’t succeed.

“You’re not a real dwarf because my mummy said that dwarfs never like elves!”

Tauriel nearly frowned at this. Apparently the distrust that her and her lover’s kin held for each other was a common thing all over Middle Earth and it even seemed to serve as a bedtime story for little hobbit children. Thankfully, though, Kíli seemed to have an answer as she saw his trademark grin returning to his face.

“Me? Not a real dwarf?” he asked, pretending to be hurt.

The little boy nodded. “I bet you have never seen a treasure! Or…. Or…”

“… Helped slaying a dragon?” Kíli finished for him.

The boy was nodding again, so much, that Tauriel though his head might fall of off his shoulders.

“Oh, but I have!” Kíli told him and faster than she had anticipated, the siblings were settling down closer to where they were sitting and looked at Kíli expectantly. 

Seeing no way around it, he started to tell a very short and less violent version of their journey, even explaining that he had met Tauriel only because she saved his life numerous times. When he had finished the story, both children looked at them, excited smiles on their faces. After a moment of silence the girl had apparently gathered her courage and decided to speak.

“Can I be your friend?” she asked shyly.

“Will you tell us your name then?” Kíli asked and she nodded.

“I’m Poppy and my brother is called Bernie,” she explained.

“Right then” Kíli said and got up, just to deliver a low bow to the girl. Had he worn his hood it would have touched the ground, Tauriel thought.

“Kíli, at your service” he told the girl and she giggled.

Tauriel bowed her head in a more elvish form of greeting and smiled at the girl.

The boy was still just starring at them.

“Bernie…” his sister poked him in the side to stop him from staring. “Bernie, it’s rude to stare like this!”

Suddenly, the boy blinked at looked form Kíli to Tauriel.

“You can kiss her”, he finally decided with a pensive nod.

“Will I still be a real dwarf?” Kíli inquired with a smile before he got back down.

“I think you said the truth and because you have slayed a dragon you can have your special elf”, he declared.

“Thank you” Kíli said, unsuccessfully trying to mask a snort as a sneeze.

  
Later, when Kíli’s hair was almost dry, he got up in order to search for his shoes and his shirt but before he could move very far, little Bernie’s gaze wandered from his sister to Kíli’s scarred body and Tauriel saw how a little, self-conscious blush founds its way into the dwarf’s cheeks when he noticed.

“Was that… the dragon?” the boy asked, a lot less exuberant than before, seeming a little scared.

Tauriel saw how Kíli flinched away from his words but to her surprise he turned around to face the boy.

“No”, he said, not being able to hold the child’s gaze. “No, that were orcs.”

“You’re a real hero!” the boy exclaimed positively in awe with the new discovery and Tauriel could only shake her head at the child’s idea of heroism. Apparently slaying a dragon wasn’t enough these days to impress a hobbit. Risking a quick glance at Kíli she saw an involuntary smile fighting his unsure expression.

“Of course he is”, she reassured the hobbit and when Kíli’s eyes met hers in surprise she just winked at him. When he winked back, she felt suddenly very warm and for a moment she wished that she could be alone with him, just to show him how much of a hero he was to her, no matter which scares his body bore. Shaking her head at the silly thought she turned her attention back to the scene in front of her.

“Are there a lot of war heroes where you come from?” the boy asked, attempting to find out more about his new friends.

“Why don’t you ask Tauriel about that? She is much older than I am and I am sure she knows far better stories than I do”, Kíli told the hobbit and when both, the boy and his sister scrambled over to move closer to Tauriel, he motioned to her, explaining that he’d be back in a moment.

 

Pulling his shirt over his head Kíli took a last look at his abdomen. _War hero_. Well, that was one way of looking at it, he thought. His brother would probably tell him that he was an idiot for not thinking along the same lines but he still felt like the same Kíli who had left his home in the Blue Mountains many months ago. Yes, he had seen things, done things and lost things, almost lost his life, but he was still Kíli. He was still the younger brother, still Dís son, still the boy who never knew his father and whose uncle took that place. Somehow, he had thought he’d feel different, older after their journey but the only thing that had visibly changed was his body. And even that could be covered and hidden.

 _War hero_. He didn’t feel like one but for a moment he thought that maybe the boy was right. How many dwarfs could claim to have fought in the Battle of Five Armies? Could claim to have defended their King and uncle with both, shield and body, to a nearly fatal outcome?

Shrugging a little helplessly, he put his boots back on and fixed a smile on his face. He knew he wouldn’t fool Tauriel, she’d notice that he was in a more pensive mood, but the children wouldn’t and that would be just fine.

About an hour later the children finally seemed satisfied with the stories that Tauriel and Kíli had told them and at least Bernie’s eyes were drifting shut.

“I think mummy will be worried if we don’t come home soon” Poppy said, her brown eyes filled with concern.

“And Master Baggins is probably waiting for us” Kíli added. To his amusement the girl’s smile widened.

“Mummy doesn’t want us to talk to him. But I think he’s nice” she said.

“Oh, he certainly is quite a fine person!” Kíli told her and got up from the ground, offering her his hand. She took it with a shy smile and he pulled her into a standing position, turning to do the same with her brother.

Tauriel was already collecting their training swords and the rest of their things when Kíli made it to her, little Poppy walking next to him and her brother resting in his arm.

Apparently, there had been a very emotional discussion (at least for Bernie) about whether or not it was possible to ask the fearsome warrior to carry him. In the end, Kíli couldn’t say no to the big brown eyes and had picked the lad up with ease.

When Tauriel saw them she couldn’t help a laugh escaping her.

“What would your uncle have had to say about that?” she asked cheekily and Kíli only grinned a little ruefully in return.

Still, she could also not help a very unexpected thought crossing her mind. _He’ll make a good father one day._

Slightly startled she shook her head. Where did that thought come form?

 

Once they reached their destination, Poppy raced towards a hobbit hole with a bright yellow door, nearly stumbling into a woman who was coming their way. Clearly, it was the children’s mother, for she looked incredibly relieved to see her little ones.

“Where have you been, Poppy? I told you to be home before afternoon tea!” she scolded.

Kíli gently woke the sleeping boy in his arms and he was soon running after his sister.

“Bernie! Your clothes are wet!”

Finally, the hobbit family came into view and Tauriel and Kíli were presented with the sight of the two children excitedly pointing in their direction, both speaking at the same time.

“Bernie fell into the river…”

“We met a real dwarf!”

“And Master Kíli rescued him…”

“… and he has a special elf! Mummy, can I have a special elf?”

“And then they told us stories!”

“Yes, they saw a real dragon!”

Uncertain of what to do, the elf and the dwarf kept their distance, well aware of the ill-will most of the hobbits bore them. When the older woman managed to calm her children and send them inside (not before both waved a happy goodbye to their new friends) she faced them.

“Is it true, then?” she asked, worry lacing her tone.

“Yes. Little Bernie fell into the stream and Kíli pulled him out”, Tauriel explained quickly. The hobbit nodded and seemed to be considering her next words with great care.

“Thank you”, she finally said.

“Kíli, at your service” Kíli responded, more out of habit than out of respect, Tauriel suspected but it seemed to amuse the hobbit.

“So… you have been living with Master Baggins?” she asked.

Kíli nodded and left it to Tauriel to explain how they had ended up in the Shire. The explanation seemed to satisfy the hobbit but there was one question left.

“And why would an elf wish to live here?” she asked, her interest in the strangers blatantly obvious. Tauriel was becoming a little flustered.  

“I simply chose to do… what is right” she declared and nodded politely.

“I see” the hobbit woman answered and after a short break, she took a reassuring breath and said something, neither Tauriel nor Kíli would have expected to hear in a million days.

“Well. Welcome to the Shire. You must join us for tea some time.”

With a very startled “Thank you” the hobbit took her leave, leaving Kíli and Tauriel with matching expressions of confusion.

Later that night, when they told Bilbo of their unusual day, they were rewarded with a very happy smile.

“Ah… I am glad they are finally coming around!” the hobbit exclaimed happily and placed three tankards of ale on the table in front of them.

“We can never turn down an exciting story”, he said with a wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Serious question. Did you like my hobbit children? I have never in my life attempted to write children, especially not hobbit children, but I thought they'd be quite curious. Anyway, you know how happy your comments make me ;)  
> Also, a little preview of what's coming next: More mingling with the hobbits, Kíli finally says goodbye to his shirt (in the bedroom), Dís is still expecting a visit and there's also a big brother who's kind of looking for a reason to travel to the Shire... And let us not forget the messenger from the Lonely Mountain who should soon be showing up in the Shire! Ooooh, so much to write about!


	18. Things change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Many things change in the Shire... or are about to!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this took me to unfamiliar places... I hope you enjoy the read :)

Chapter 18: Things change 

Things changed after Kíli pulled little Bernie from the stream in the woods. Two days after it happened, the whispers behind their backs stopped and the hobbits started smiling at them, some were even bold enough to wish them a good day when they saw them. Another two days later, more children found their way to their preferred training ground and while most of them were too polite to barge in or to distract them, they found themselves with quite the audience.   
Hobbit children, it turned out, were not familiar with the art of fighting. They had never seen anyone wield a sword or use a bow and where understandably excited and fascinated. Soon, they were begging for stories whenever Kíli and Tauriel took a break and even though both of them would have liked to have a little more privacy, they both enjoyed the children’s company. It was certainly better than the ignorance of their elders they had suffered before. 

Much to Kíli’s delight one of the smiths came up to him one evening when he and Tauriel were making their way back home towards Bag End with a deer hanging over his shoulder and asked for his help in the forge. One of his clients’ needed to fix a wheel and the hobbit smith was, quite simply, out of his depths.   
With a big smile Kíli reassured him he’d come to the forge and have a look the next day and the two of them went home.   
The next day passed in a rush as Kíli couldn’t wait to get his hands on some iron and do some metal work. It had been over a year that he had last worked in a forge and it amused Tauriel greatly when he failed to hide his excitement. Throughout the whole afternoon he had been caressing his knife (self-made, as she had found out some days before) whenever he though she wasn’t looking and when the hobbit children pestered them for more stories he told them about the first sword he made. The elf was quite certain that the hobbits did not share his excitement but they still hung to every word that left his lips and even she couldn’t help the fond grin. He was, for a lack of other words, rather adorable, his hands moving around in unusually expressive gestures, eyes almost blazing with life and his voice was as warm as a campfire on a lovely summer eve. That day, Tauriel found herself falling in love again.   
It must have been around tea time when Kíli jumped up from the ground, pressed a hasty kiss to Tauriel’s forehead and gathered his things in order to run off to the forge. He could hear the elf’s laughter ringing light and clear all the way out of the forest and it only made him happier.   
The job the smith needed some help with turned out to be easy enough, at least for a dwarf. Kíli had the advantage of being taller and stronger than the hobbit, whose name was Rorimac Pott and whom most people called Mac, and it was no trouble for him to fix the wheel. Once they had finished he offered to help with the rest of the days work and soon enough, old Mac made him promise to come back the next day, which he gladly did.   
Kíli was in high spirits when he returned to Bag End that night and he was looking forward to getting out of his sweaty shirt. He had forgotten how much he loved working in the forge. Shaping something, using the fire to create something new – it was what his people loved doing and it was the one thing that his kin in the Blue Mountains truly liked about him. He had been a bit of an odd dwarf, taller than most, almost skinny, exceedingly good as an archer and generally too fond of the outside. His brother hadn’t minded, of course, neither had his mother or his uncle, but he had heard the whispers behind his back. Still, it had been a relief when people started to notice that his abilities in the forge were neither better nor worse than his brother’s and at some point the voices had almost stopped and he had learned to ignore what was left of them. 

Taking off his shirt seemed the most natural thing to do once he was home and had shouted a quick hello to Bilbo, who was already bustling about in the kitchen. Kíli had fully intended to quickly find something fresh to wear before disappearing into the bathroom but while he was digging through his clothes a startled sound made him freeze in the movement. It must have looked quite comical to an outsider, as he was digging through a shelf in a wardrobe standing on his tiptoes (he couldn’t remember putting any of his belongings up there but somehow it had found its way to the top shelf), one hand on the doorframe the other somewhere above his head.   
Tauriel, on the other hand, had not expected to find a half naked dwarf in what had become their bedroom. She wanted to apologize and turn around to get back into the other room but somehow she couldn’t pull her eyes away from him. She had to admit that the view was rather lovely and while she had seen him shirtless before, this was different. Before, she had looked at him with a more medical interested but now, oh now she couldn’t help her mouth going dry when she studied his well-trained shoulders and his muscular back. She opened her mouth so say something but nothing would come out. Much to her embarrassment she could all but feel her cheeks going pink and she hurriedly shut her mouth, hoping he hadn’t noticed.   
Tauriel could feel her heart racing and the room suddenly seemed unnaturally warm. She swallowed hard when she detected a tiny movement and Kíli slowly began to turn around.   
He desperately wanted to say something cheeky or clever but when he took in her flushed cheeks and her wide eyes his mind went very much blank. Not knowing what to do he just stood and stared like a little dwarfling who had been caught with his hand on his father’s (or in his case uncle’s) sword. He was painfully aware of his cheeks slowly flushing as well but he wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or something quite different. The way Tauriel looked at him made him aware of something else. He was still shirtless and his trousers were slowly becoming uncomfortably tight.   
Neither of them knew how much time passed but to Tauriel it seemed like many hours had ticked by at the time she finally took a timid step towards him. Kíli held a rough linen shirt in one hand and for a second the elf saw how a jerk went through his body and he made a half-hearted attempt to cover his scars with the cloth but when he registered that her eyes were still fixed on his face, his hand fell limply to his side.   
None of them had spoken a single word but neither of them really cared. This was new and more exciting than either of them cared to admit.   
Kíli was torn between a sudden shyness and a passionate longing he had not felt before. Mirroring her actions he took a step towards her as well and without a warning, they were both moving forward much faster. Inches away from each other they stopped. Kíli noticed the heavy movements of her chest and couldn’t stop his eyes from being drawn to that part of her anatomy. Carefully, the elf lowered herself and knelt down in front of him, brining their faces to the same level. He reached out with a shaking hand, tenderly cupping her cheek. Brown eyes found green ones and all rush forgotten, Kíli moved forward, closing the small gap between their lips.   
Tauriel felt like she melted into him. Heat was flowing off his body and his hairy chest was pressed against her slender form, his other arm sneaking around her waist. She didn’t know when her hands had come to rest just below his collarbones but somehow she found herself clinging onto him like there was no tomorrow.   
Had his lips always been so soft? The stubble on his chin and cheeks so pleasantly titillative? Losing her train of thought, Tauriel focussed on the feeling of his body against hers and soon the world faded into a very pleasant bliss.   
Minutes? Hours? Days? Later Kíli pulled away a little, only to lean his forehead against hers, breathing hard. The tip of his nose was touching hers ever so lightly and it made her inside tingle with desire.   
“I…” he stared, not really knowing where he was going. He cleared his throat and looked at her a little bashfully, his brown eyes almost black.   
“Oh, Mahal knows what I’m doing” he said, dismissing whatever he had wanted to say in the first place and returned to kissing her.   
Finally his hands moved away form her waist and her cheek and found their well-known path into her hair and he began caressing her ears gently. When Tauriel moaned into his mouth he couldn’t control the answering growl building in his throat and he drew her a little closer, if that was even possible. When he opened his eyes again a while later, he noticed how dark the room had become and shifted a little, suddenly remembering the linen shirt that lay forgotten behind him.   
“Tauriel” he whispered, fascinated by the newfound darkness in her usually bright eyes.   
“Hm” she hummed in reply, sending a slight tremor through his body that nearly made him collapse into her arms.   
“I… I should wash myself”, he finally said, regret obvious in his voice.   
A pathetic and incredibly embarrassing whine escaped her when he let go of her hair but the near-pout that was beginning to form on her lips was replace by a rueful grin when she heard his laugh.   
“Besides, I smell like I haven’t washed in a week” he grinned.   
“Maybe I like it”, Tauriel suggested, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. His low rumbling laugh sent a new wave of hitherto unfamiliar desire through her body.   
“No you don’t”, he murmured, moving his head to kiss her neck lovingly.   
When she didn’t reply he looked up at her curiously and to his surprise she seemed to blush anew. Tauriel would never ever repeat what she said next, at least not in this context and not after the immensely self-satisfied grin it drew from him.  
“It makes me … desire you” she admitted, furiously biting down on her lip. When he didn’t say anything she squinted at him, a suspicious frown forming on her forehead.  
“Oh, stop looked so pleased with yourself” she said and instead of bursting out into laughter he leaned in again and kissed her very softly and very slowly, as if he was trying to express his emotions.   
“Never”, he breathed, winking at her, when they separated.   
Tauriel shook her head, her thoughts becoming clearer once again.   
“But you’re right, I fear” she began “you should probably consider getting dressed, Bilbo won’t wait forever and I fully intend to have some of the deer we shot yesterday.”   
Kíli nearly did laugh at that. He had completely forgotten about supper.   
“I’ll be quick”, he promised, retreating to his fallen shirt.  
Tauriel was sure that he put on a bit of a show but she certainly wasn’t going to complain. Before he vanished out of their room, he turned around again to look at her. She was sitting on the floor, legs folded beneath her body, looking up to the window searching for stars in the early night sky.   
“I need to worship you” he said, his voice a rough whisper. When she turned her head he saw the look of surprise on her face, mingling with the still present arousal from before.   
“Every inch of you.”  
With that he left the room, leaving her to her own devices and oddly desperate for more private time with her dwarf.   
Supper was a rather tense affair. While both of them usually enjoyed idle conversations with their host, time couldn’t pass fast enough this night. Kíli kept sneaking glances at her and Tauriel found it harder and harder to ignore them, especially when a dreamy smile threatened to break his otherwise perfect composure.   
By the time Bilbo had declared that he fancied a pipe, Tauriel was sure he had caught on to something because he was looking at Kíli quite expectantly. When Kíli made a hasty excuse about being too tired from working at the forge, Bilbo fought valiantly to keep a knowing grin off his face but the elf noticed how the hobbit’s eyes flickered form the dwarf to her and he bowed his head in acceptance. 

While Tauriel and Kíli vanished into their bedroom, Bilbo settled down beside the fireplace. Of course he knew something was up. He had known it since he had spotted Kíli rushing to the bathroom shortly before supper and he had to admit that he was surprised that it took them so long. Obviously, he didn’t know anything about the courting customs of elves and dwarves but he figured that at least some intimacy was allowed. So far, however, neither Kíli nor Tauriel had behaved suspiciously in any way but tonight had changed things. Bilbo was an observant little fellow and, as he liked to remember, he had keen eyes. At least, that was what a certain dwarf king had told him not too long ago. It didn’t take an experienced burglar to notice the looks the other two were giving each other. Bilbo knew that they thought he was oblivious and he certainly preferred it that way. Besides, it would, at some point, make for a hilarious story.   
Chuckling to himself he imagined telling Fíli about his brother’s only too obvious antics in a couple of months. Oh yes, he’d make sure to have plenty of good stories to tell by then! 

***

The next morning, Tauriel awoke with the first rays of the morning sun. It was surely going to be a lovely day but there was nothing that would make her get up early today. Snuggling closer to the very warm and equally naked chest of her lover, she closed her eyes again, recalling the previous night. The arm around her waist tightened and she sighted happily.   
Kíli had not disappointed her when he had said he needed to worship her. When they had left Bilbo, they had both struggled a little to overcome an initial shyness but once she had shrugged out of her dress, leaving her only cover to be a light under tunic, things returned to the same pace as before. Only, this time, Kíli didn’t shy away from her hands and let her pull his tunic over his head. At some point they must have moved to the bed because while Tauriel didn’t remember everything very clearly she would certainly never forget the feeling of his body pressing against her own form when she had pulled him on top of her. Later, when their kisses began to become less coordinated and more passionate, she had struggled to sit up. His expression had been confused for a mere second but then he caught on to her train of thought and moved his hands from her shoulders to her waist.   
“May I...?” the bashful little blush on his cheeks had been the most adorable thing Tauriel had ever seen in her life. A nod was all the encouraging he needed and soon her under tunic followed his shirt to the floor and there they were. He was still straddling her legs, though now she was only in her smallclothes and other wise completely naked. Remembering the look of adoration on his face, Tauriel smiled.   
“You’re beautiful” he had breathed and proceeded to kiss her shoulders, her collarbones and the soft spot between her breast. When she didn’t protest (she certainly didn’t, she thought she remembered making rather encouraging sounds at that time) he continued kissing her and soon she was back on her back and his lips and hands were everywhere.   
She remembered wanting to touch him as well but he was making her dizzy with desire and she lost all control over her body when his hands slipped lower and lower. Still, she had willingly returned the favour and never wanted to forget how good and right and perfect it all felt, his hands and lips on her body and hers on his. 

***

Life in the Shire was treating them well. Kíli was now working with the smith a couple of days each week and soon two more weeks had passed. While they spent much time exploring the Shire, they also spent a lot of time exploring each other and they had quite forgotten to worry about being accepted by the hobbits. They were treated friendlier and friendlier with each passing day and the end of July found them in the Green Dragon surrounded by curious hobbits who where asking for stories. They didn’t hesitate to give them what they wanted and even Bilbo learned his fare share of new things about the elf and the dwarf.   
It was probably close to midnight when Tauriel noticed that Kíli kept looking to his left whenever somebody laughed at a joke he made or a story he told. It didn’t take her long to understand that he was looking for his brother and the thought pained her a little. When the hobbits left them alone for a while, she took his hand gently.   
“You miss him.”  
It wasn’t a question and Kíli seemed grateful for that when he nodded, a sad smile forming on his face.   
“Maybe you really should visit your mother” she suggested, knowing that while it wouldn’t be his brother he’d be seeing it would do him some good to see his family. She had lost her own family long ago and he was all the family she had and needed but she understood his longing to see his kin again.   
“Maybe”, he said, pensively.   
Their conversation was disturbed by a drunken hobbit who stumbled into Kíli and nearly made him fall into Tauriel but he was careful to control himself after that. No more glances to his left hand side followed, at least not until much later when he’d had a pint too many. Tauriel then vowed to herself that she’d make him promise to go to the Blue Mountains soon enough. 

The next day started out much as every other day. The sun woke them and after a few lazy kissed they joined Bilbo for breakfast and made their way into the woods. This time they settled for training with bow and arrow again and Kíli suggest a bet, unable to keep from gambling all together.   
“Today, I’ll beat you”, he declared with a pompous smile and an ironic bow. Tauriel laughed.  
“You think?”  
“I know!”   
“What if you do win?” she asked, not really worried about his answer.   
“If I win I get to braid flowers into your hair”, he suggested with a wink and Tauriel nearly rolled her eyes. He usually braided something into her hair every morning, though, usually he used his own hairclips to fix her braids. Flowers weren’t much of threat, anyway.   
“Deal”, she accepted.   
Before his grin could grow too big, though, she laughed out loud.   
“And if I win, you get the flowers!”  
For a second, Kíli looked like he was going to refuse but then he shrugged.   
“Okay, though I’ll have you know that I’d look fantastic with flowers in my hair!” he teased.  
“I’m sure loosing won’t hurt too much then”, she teased back and soon they were engaged in a rather vivacious competition.   
Unfortunately for Kíli, Tauriel was clearly having a better day and had already placed more than half of her arrows in the centre of their target while Kíli had accidentally scattered his equally in and around the bullseye they had painted on a piece of wood a while ago. And this is how, by the time evening drew near, Tauriel found herself braiding an arrangement of blue and white flowers into the dwarf prince’s hair.   
Kíli had been grumbling good-natured all afternoon and hadn’t put up much of a fight when Tauriel returned from picking her flowers.   
Once she was finished he looked utterly ridiculous, his head decorated with a crown made of the delicate flowers she had found near the riverbank.   
With much teasing and laughing they started their way back to Bag End, only to notice they were being followed shortly before they left the wood.   
Turning around, Kíli drew his sword and Tauriel notched an arrow, only to come face to face with a very furious looking dwarf. 

Kíli gulped when he recognized his brother’s crest on the dwarfs armour. How could he forget about the messenger Fíli had promised to send to the Shire? With a start he remembered the flowers in his hair and he desperately wished for the ground to open and swallow him whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TADAAA! I'm somewhat anxious to hear what you think! Did I go too far? Did I not go far enough? Are you as shocked as Kíli to come face to face with another dwarf? Do you want a flowery crown as well?


	19. The Treasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do excuse the horribly long wait! Chapter 20 is already in the making, though :)

Chapter 19: The Treasure 

Kíli was painfully aware of the flowers in his hair and the elf standing next to him. The elf who was quite obviously not wearing elvish braids and whose hair was held together by his own hair clasp, a very dwarfish one with the crest of the royal line of Durin on it. Beyond hope he was suddenly praying to all the gods who’d listen to him that the other dwarf had not seen it yet.   
The messenger was still starring at them, anger and a healthy amount of shock only too visible on his face. Not knowing what to do Kíli chose the most diplomatic route he could think of.  
“Kíli, at your service” he said, voice only trembling a little when he bowed low.   
The other dwarf continued to stare at him and then as if something snapped him out of his stupor, he bowed stiffly.  
“Harl at yours” he answered, his voice a hiss more than an actual voice.   
“Fíli, King under the Mountain sent me to find his brother, Prince Kíli of Erebor.”  
It was only too obvious that the dwarf, Harl, didn’t think much of the Prince of Erebor and was secretly hoping that there had been a mistake. So far, he had thankfully ignored Tauriel and the elf was hoping that it stayed that way. Apparently however, the prince had a different idea and seemed to think that it would be best to introduce her before unpleasant questions could be asked.  
“You have come to the right place then”, Kíli answered, shifting a little. Trying to calm himself he inhaled, careful not to give away his nervousness. Nodding to the elf at his side he continued.  
“This is Tauriel, formerly of Mirkwood”, he began. When Harl didn’t react, Tauriel saw a stubborn twinkle in in eyes. “The King and I are in great debt to her, she fought valiantly in the battle of five armies and helped to save our lives.”   
He didn’t add ‘numerous times’ but he knew that both, he and Tauriel thought it and knew it to be true.   
This finally triggered the desired reaction and Harl bowed again, though, this time less deep and much quicker, like he was eager to get it over with.   
“May I show you the way to our host?” Kíli asked politely, hoping he wasn’t overstepping any boundaries he wasn’t aware of.   
“I’d be most grateful” Harl answered and looked like he’d bitten into something remarkably sour. For a fleeting moment Kíli felt the mad desire to laugh out loud and quickly bit the inside of his cheek. Turning around, he set a brisk pace towards Bad End. 

Bilbo had not expected to find two dwarves and an elf at his doorstep so shortly before dinner. He quickly took in the generally tense atmosphere and once he had a closer look at the dwarf’s uniform he finally made the connection and understood why.  
“Allow me to introduce Master Baggins, the fourteenth member of our company”, Kíli said politely and for a moment Bilbo was reminded of Thorin himself, though the flowers kind of destroyed the air of royalty and responsibility that Kíli had miraculously managed to adopt.   
“Harl at your service” the other dwarf said, bowing politely. While he was less hesitant than before it was still obvious that he was uneasy with the situation.  
“And I at yours”, Bilbo replied correctly and opened the door a little further in order to let the little company in. 

Kíli took Harl’s cloak and dealt with his weapons and luggage while Tauriel slipped away to give the visitor some space and put him out of his misery. The little smile Kíli shot her before she vanished into their room made her heart race and once she had closed the door she sunk back against it.  
It was going to be an awkward evening. Possibly the most awkward one in her life and she had lived through her fair share of awkwardness, considering her former position and Thranduil’s less than patient nature. She knew that they couldn’t be their usual careless selves, as the dwarf would judge their relationship harshly and certainly not kindly. It had been quite obvious that he didn’t share his king’s open-minded nature but rather his race’s trademark negative opinion about elves in general. 

While Tauriel was pondering their rather unfortunate position, Bilbo was preparing a dinner that was worthy of his new visitor. He assumed that the dwarf would be staying a while but so far, neither Kíli nor Harl had addressed the matter. Whistling a decidedly dwarvish-sounding tune to himself he made sure the deer was properly roasted before he poured some wine over it to make it softer and juicer.   
Kíli, on the other hand, was trying to make polite small talk with Harl, inquiring about his journey. First, he had wanted to hear from his brother, but decided that it should probably wait because it would make for a suitable and hopefully deep topic for a long dinner conversation, as he didn’t particularly fancy coming up with more topics. Besides, he was sure that the others would like to hear about their friends as well. Still, one question on his brother’s well-being should be fine, he thought.  
“How is my brother?” he finally inquired after another moment of silence, curiosity getting the better of him. He had noticed how Harl’s eyes had been wandering to the flowers in his hair again and by the time other dwarf spoke he had made up his made and resolved to keep them in for the night, just to mess with him.   
“The King is well,” he said, sticking to his short answers.   
“Your wounds seem to have healed”, he remarked then.   
Kíli refrained form biting his lip, not sure what his brother had told the other dwarves.  
“Yes, though, it wasn’t a very simple process.”  
A dangerous glint started to shine in the other dwarf’s eyes and for a moment Kíli was afraid that he’d given away too much but then the stony mask was back.  
“I’m sure the King will be very glad.”  
He didn’t have to say that he still didn’t think much of the prince he had never met before.

They spent a rather uncomfortable moment in silence, Kíli starring at the wall behind Harl’s head and Harl stubbornly refusing to look at his prince. The younger dwarf could have kissed Bilbo when he finally came into the living room, plates and cutlery in his hands.   
“Let me help you with that, Bilbo”, Kíli exclaimed, rushing to his side.   
Bilbo smiled at him gently and raised an eyebrow.  
“You should change into something less… stained before dinner”, he said, hoping that Kíli would get the hint.  
Bilbo figured that the couple should have a moment to themselves without the prying eyes of the other dwarf in order to talk, in case there was something to discuss. Because the hobbit was completely sure that neither of them wanted Harl to know about their relationship. Besides, it would be good to agree on a story, as Harl might ask about their journey to the Shire, as well as the reasons for coming here. 

 

While Bilbo was happily chatting to Harl (it could really only be considered to and not with as the dwarf was sticking to his short answers), Kíli slipped away, making sure that Harl wasn’t watching him when he took the same door Tauriel had taken before.   
He found her in her room in front of her wardrobe, only wearing an under tunic. Her long red hair was flowing down her back, the dwarvish braids undone, as Kíli noticed with a pang of sadness.   
“I don’t want to hide you”, he said, finding that an odd sort of pain had wormed its way into his voice.   
Tauriel faced him with a smile.  
“I know, meleth nin”, she said, bending down to press a light kiss on his lips.   
Kíli smiled despite himself.  
“I don’t like it much either” she added when he looked at her with his sad brown eyes.   
“But we both know that he wouldn’t take it well. I think he would have gladly killed me with his stares when he first saw us.”  
Kíli couldn’t help a chuckle when he heard her words.   
“I know, I know”, he said, most prudent, reaching for a strand of her hair, curling it around his fingers.   
“Can I still braid your hair?” he asked hopeful, the sad look gone from his face, only to be replaced with one of his brilliant smiles.   
Tauriel sighed.   
“First I have to find something appropriate to wear for the occasion. I’d rather not make Harl feel threatened so my old uniform is not really an option”, she remarked drily.   
She was half expecting a sultry answer and was a little surprised when Kíli stepped up next to her and swiftly went through the small collection of clothes she owned with an expression of deep concentration. After a quiet moment of contemplation, he reached into Tauriel’s wardrobe and pulled out a dark blue dress. It was simple but he thought it was quite pretty. The elf either didn’t think so or had preferred to wear other things because even though Kíli could tell that it wasn’t new it looked hardly worn. Paying attention to net let it touch the ground he pulled it from the hanger and handed it to her.  
“I like this one, it reminds me of the night sky.”  
He looked so innocent and honest that Tauriel felt like she melted a little on the inside.   
“I quite forgot that I own this”, she said with a soft smile, reaching for the fabric and puling it over her head.   
“Let me help you”, Kíli offered and she went over to sit down. The dwarf stepped behind her and quickly closed the clasps on the back of the dress. When he was done, he brushed her hair out of his way and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck. He didn’t say anything but he didn’t have to, Tauriel felt herself relax under his touch, forgetting about the unpleasant dinner that lay ahead of them for a moment. Reaching over to the table next to her she found a comb that she handed to Kíli. She could picture the delighted grin on his face all too well. It would probably take her years to get used to his endless fascination with her hair.   
While he was tending to her hair, she fiddled around with his hair clasp that had somehow become her hair clasp as well.   
“Maybe you should put in one of my own?, she asked, knowing he’d be reluctant about it.   
“Well, they are quite pretty, considering that elves made them”, he teased her, taking her by surprise.   
“They belonged to my mother”, Tauriel explained, admittedly quite curious about his reaction.  
“Oh…”, the dwarf started, his steady movements slowing down a little. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”  
“It’s fine”, Tauriel interrupted him, “I know you didn’t mean to cause harm.”  
Kíli hummed in reply and returned to the task at hand. Tauriel hadn’t told him much about her family apart from mentioning that her parents were dead and that she had no other relatives. Still, he took great care when he braided the delicate ornament into her hair, trying to make the braids as elvish as possible.   
Tauriel thanked him with a tender kiss and instructed him to find something clean to wear as well.  
“Shouldn’t you take out the flowers?”, she called after him when he moved towards his own wardrobe.   
Turning around he shrugged and shot her a cheeky grin.  
“Nah, I rather like my new crown”, he insisted.

 

Later, when they had all eaten their fill of the truly wonderful dinner, the very superficial conversation topics were running out and Kíli finally got to ask the questions that had been on his mind for most of the night. Harl, who was a little appeased by the splendid supper, was smoking his pipe comfortably and continued to ignore the elf rather successfully. He had not asked about her presence at all, but Kíli was grateful for that because no remarks also meant no rude ones or awkward questions. The older dwarf was happy to tell them about the rebuilding of Erebor and Dale and didn’t mind wasting time and words on stories about the young King. Kíli was glad to hear that Fíli was handling his duties fairly well and knowing that both, Balin and Dwalin were almost constantly at his brother’s side made Kíli feel relieved and immensely grateful. He even made a mental note to write to the two warriors, thanking them for looking after his brother when he couldn’t.   
Tauriel had been listening to the conversation, not daring to interrupt or ask after the fate of the Mirkwood elves. So far, Harl had told them that some of the dwarves who had cone to the Battle of Five Armies had decided to stay in Erebor whereas Dain himself was already back in the Iron Hills. He had, however, promised to send help to dwarves and men alike, which Fíli had gladly accepted and promised to reward kingly. The folk of Dale, now led by King Bard the Dragonslayer, was as keen as Fíli to put the hostilities behind them and where therefor working on trading agreements and cooperation treaties with all their strength.   
“What about King Thranduil and his people?” Bilbo asked, pulling out his own pipe. The hobbit had, after all, spent some time with the Elvenking and had every right to be interested in the elves’ fate.   
Harl’s face turned sour for a moment but then he remembered his manners and schooled his face back to a neutral expression.   
“King Fíli is working with them but it will take some time till there will be agreements. But the young King is handling it well, from what I hear.”  
That was all they could get him to say on the matter of Mirkwood but it was enough for Tauriel to hear that maybe dwarves and elves were forming a careful friendship. 

Soon after that she excused herself and made her way to their rooms, purposely choosing the door to her own room, just in case Harl remembered which door Kíli had chosen earlier that day. Thankfully, nobody paid any attention to what she was doing, at least not obviously and she was grateful for some peace and quiet. While no ugly words had been spoken the atmosphere had been overly tense and it hadn’t been a very pleasant experience. Still, Tauriel was genuinely happy for Kíli because she was well aware of how much is brother meant to him and she suspected that Harl would be a lot more willing to talk about the blond king without an elf in earshot.   
Realizing how tired she was she quickly slipped out of her dress and pulled out the hair ornaments that Kíli had skilfully woven into her braids. She had long accepted her parents’ death but these days she found herself wondering more and more often about what they would have said if they had know their daughter was going to pledge herself to a dwarf one day; a dwarf or Erebor no less.   
Smiling a little wistfully she brushed out her hair and made her way to the bed she shared with her dwarf. Keeping her distance was working fine but she wasn’t used to it anymore and she was quite sure he’d be feeling the same, so she figured that it would be nice to spend the night together. Burying her face in his pillow she pulled the covers over her body and was fast asleep minutes later. 

In the living room the conversations were turning back to the mountain and Harl seemed much happier to share some more delicate information after Tauriel had left. Finally, he addressed the purpose of his visit.  
“The King has sent me as a messenger, as you well know”, he began, his tone suddenly a lot more serious than before. Even his disapproving stare was back when he focussed on Kíli and was reminded of the flowers.   
“Ah, yes”, was all Kíli said.  
He was, in truth, not very excited about receiving a part of the treasure. A part of him wanted to have a good look at it because he hoped to find some materials he could use to finally design and forge the courting braids for Tauriel that he had been thinking about for such a long time now, but the bigger part of him didn’t want the treasure anywhere near him; too many bad memories were connected to it.  
An unpleasant shudder went through him when Harl pushed the wooden box into his hands.  
“There’s a letter as well but I figured you’d like to have a look first.”  
Kíli nodded. “Indeed. I’d prefer some privacy for the letter”, he added with a half-hearted smile. He took one look at the treasure and was surprisingly fascinated by it. There were a few brooches and hairclips, some gold and silver, brass and copper and, to his surprise, a few very small parts of a broken armour that was made of mithril. At least he thought so. Apart from that his brother had chosen a variety of precious jewels and stones and a rather splendid little knife of the best making. Kíli was quite sure his brother had chosen that particular item because he had noticed that Kíli had nicked on of his own before he sent him away months ago. A friendly reminder not to take other people’s things when you could just get some for yourself. A little smile tugged at his lips when he closed the lid.  
“I thank you, Harl, for delivering this safely”, he said.   
“It was my honour”, he answered, but Kíli and Bilbo both knew that it was a mere pleasantry.   
Soon, Bilbo offered Harl to stay for the night and the dwarf accepted, though it seemed like he had assumed he’d be welcome to stay anyway. Bilbo hurried off and Harl followed him, leaving Kíli alone with his thought, his brother’s letter and the wooden box. His part of the treasure. Shaking his head he set it down close to the fire and made himself comfortable in Bilbo’s armchair, his pipe in one hand and the now opened letter in the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your thoughts? I'm really curious to hear what you think!


	20. Travel Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fíli's letter, fluff, nasty Harl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looong chapter for you because you're such wonderful people :)  
> I think this is one of my personal favourites so far and I'm VERY curious to hear what you think!  
> Enjoy!
> 
> PS: Sorry for accidentally calling Bag End Bad End in the previous chapter. That particular mistake made me laugh too much to correct it ;)

Chapter 20: Travel plans

 

_Dear brother,_

_I hope this letter finds you well and out of trouble, though, I know the latter is rather unlikely. Your last letter leads me to believe that your wounds are sufficiently healed and I must confess that I hope that this means you will be coming to Erebor soon. Maybe in a few months?_

 

It struck Kíli that his brother didn’t speak about Erebor as home. Home, for them, would always be the Blue Mountains, far away from dragon fire and the shadows of Mirkwood.

 

_Gandalf said you should stay away for a while but I can still hope, can I not? To be honest, it is getting a bit boring here and I find myself wishing for your company. Being king is not nearly as exciting as we imagined it to be when we were mere dwarflings but so far, everyone has been assuring me that I’m doing a fine job. I guess all the hours we spent playing regent of Erebor paid off, in the end._

_Mother has told me that you consider visiting her and I would ask of you to find her a token in the part of the treasure I sent you. I think it should be enough to allow you a comfortable time in the Shire and an equally comfortable return trip, once you come back here._

 

Fíli missed him much more than he led on, Kíli was sure of it. Suddenly, he couldn’t quite bear the pain and for a moment he set the letter aside and started into the flames. He would see his brother again, he told himself. There was, after all, so much he needed to tell him and so much he needed to ask. And he longed for a drunken night with silly jokes and never ending laughter with his brother. He missed how the firelight made his blond hair shine, he missed his disapproving looks when his younger brother refused to braid his hair and he missed he gentle smiles he received whenever Thorin had told him off for one thing or another. His brother had been there for every single step of his life and now he couldn’t be. Kíli felt torn between a raging desire to gather his things and run back to the mountain and to crawl into bed next to Tauriel, burry his face in her hair and forget about the pain his brother’s absence was causing him.

He knew he couldn’t do either, not yet anyway, and he also knew what he would choose in the end. It was clear to him that while he could always visit his brother, either in secret or openly, he knew he could never come back to Tauriel, should he ever turn his back on her. Besides, the mere thought of leaving her behind, not knowing what might happen to them threatened to rip him apart. He had made his choice long ago when he had told the elf of dwarvish courting customs and even then he had known that he couldn’t let her go. Not if his life depended on it.

She was as much a part of his heart as was his brother.

Shaking himself from the unexpected melancholy he reached for the letter again.

 

_Actually, I am considering leading the honour guard to the Blue Mountains to take mother and the others to Erebor. Balin didn’t like it at first but I think I was quite convincing. I heard him complaining to his brother that I was growing as stubborn as Thorin. Though, I’m not sure whether he thought that was good or bad._

Kíli had to stifle a laugh at this. He was quite sure that while Dwalin and Balin might be grumbling about his brother’s newfound stubbornness they were secretly pleased to see him cope with his new position and develop into a leader Thorin would have been more than proud of. Because Thorin hadn’t minded stubbornness, no; he was pretty much the reincarnation of stubbornness. With a smile Kíli went back to the letter.

 

_I will write to mother once you have left the Shire to visit her and will arrange a small party to meet her on the way. My current plans are rather vague but I would like to visit Bilbo, so maybe mother and I could meet you there. We will speak of this further once summer is coming to an end._

Kíli’s heart was suddenly beating very fast. The idea of his brother and mother coming to visit was beyond thrilling! For a moment he was excited enough to forget about the still unaddressed issue of his relationship with Tauriel but he couldn’t bring himself to care even when he remembered that neither his brother nor his mother knew. Somehow, he managed to reassure himself, it would be fine.

 

_The messenger, Harl, I sent on this journey, is, as you will have guessed, one of Dain’s men. He was one of the first to swear fealty to Erebor and while he is certainly a bit grumpy, he is among those I consider trusted advisors. He had been quite eager to help and I hope you don’t cause him too much grief._

Kíli was now torn between smiling a feeling a little bad because he was more than sure that he was causing Harl a good deal of grief by simply being him. Not to mention Tauriel!

 

_Unfortunately, I forgot to tell him that you have been travelling with an elf but I hope he can appreciate the effort Tauriel has made and still makes watching out for my clumsy brother and even if not, I am sure that you will handle the situation well._

_Give Bilbo and Tauriel my greetings._

_I hope to see you soon,_

_Fíli_

_I nearly forgot: Don’t do anything stupid, brother!_

 

The last sentence made Kíli giggle. His brother would never not know him and he had a feeling that his brother’s instinct told him that something was going on. Well, one more thing he had to deal with.

With a sigh Kíli leaned back. Excitement, dread and wonder were pulsing through his system. Excitement because he would apparently be seeing his brother sooner rather than later if the King under the Mountain had his way, dread because he’d then have to enlighten his brother about his intentions towards Tauriel and while he knew his brother accepted the friendship and care that had developed between them, he didn’t know how the older Durin would react to his brother courting an elf. And then there was wonder because he couldn’t shake the feeling that his brother had grown up. His words sounded so much more regal and like they had been chosen with great care, it was so unlike the brother he knew and yet, he recognized the tone.

After he had re-read the letter again, this time openly chuckling at his brother’s splendidly developing stubbornness, he folded it carefully and placed it onto the little table to his left. His eyes fell, again, to the wooded box and with a light flutter of dread he moved out of the chair and sunk down next to the fireplace, reaching for the box.

He relished in the warmth of the still crackling flames and, thinking of his brother’s plea to find their mother a token, he pushed the image of his uncle’s cold, blue eyes from his mind. It would take him years to forget that look on Thorin’s face and it would take effort to remind himself that not every single gold coin, each and every gem could trigger such madness. 

 

 

When Tauriel woke up and opened her eyes it was pitch black in the room and the bed was uncomfortably cold. Trying to snuggle closer to Kíli she shut her eyes again, only to have them snap open a second later.

There was nobody else in bed.

For a moment she panicked and shot into a sitting position, harshly brushing her hair out of her face. _It is alright_ , she told herself, _we’re in the Shire, nothing happened to him._

Once the icy fingers of fright were gone, she got up and made her way to the door. Judging from the darkness it must have been well into the night and it confused her to find Kíli missing. Usually, he would have joined her as fast as he could and while she understood that he wanted to speak to Harl in order to hear more about Erebor she couldn’t help to feel a little worried.

Tiptoeing all the way to the fireplace in the living room she found him crouched in front of the fire, eyes focussed intently on something in his hand.

“Kíli?”, she whispered.

His head whipped around and his hand automatically hid whatever he was holding behind his back. It wasn’t very effective because she had already seen something glitter but decided not to question his behaviour.

“Tauriel?”, he sounded confused, tired.

“May I…?”, she asked, gesturing to the ground beside him.

Interpreting his little smile as an invitation, she sat down, her eyes falling to his feet where a very small collection of jewels, gold and other parts of the treasure lay. First she wasn’t quite sure what he had been doing but then she saw that a bigger pile was laying closer to the wooded box it had all come form. He had been sorting through the treasure, apparently looking for… what exactly?

Kíli flushed under her inquiring gaze, his teeth starting to worry his lower lip. He had been trying to find the right bits and pieces for crafting the courting beads he so desperately wanted to see in Tauriel’s hair but of course he couldn’t tell her that. Carefully, he slid his hand into his pocket and let the two green jewels he had been comparing slip into it. He’d have to continue another time.

With a sigh he shifted closer to Tauriel and reached for her hand.

“You have no idea how grateful I am that you are here with me”, he stated solemnly, his eyes flickering from the fire to hers.

“I am too”, she replied, caressing his hand with her thumb.

They enjoyed a moment of silence before Kíli turned to face her properly.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, a smile appearing on his lips.

“You weren’t there”, she murmured, eyes still fixed on their joined hands.

Kíli’s heart clenched at her words and, quite suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to crawl into their bed with her, hold her form against his body and inhale her sweet scent.

“I forgot the time”, he explained and when she looked up she saw his apologetic smile.

“What… what were you doing?” she asked, knowing that this was potentially dangerous territory.

“Oh… just… my brother wants me to find a token for our mother and I was just… sorting through everything.”

Tauriel had a feeling that he hadn’t told her everything because she doubted that his mother would be overjoyed if her sons presented her with a rather random assortment of gold, silver and gems but thought it better not to force an answer from him. Besides, she noticed the weary look he shot the treasure.

“Are you going to visit her then?” she inquired and Kíli nodded. There had been an unspoken agreement between them that he’d be visiting his mother alone while she would remain in the Shire.

“Hm, I think I’ll prepare to leave in about two weeks.” He fell silent for a moment and then added “and she will be coming here before going to Erebor.”

“Oh.”

They both knew what that meant for them. While they could hide their relationship from Harl, they certainly couldn’t hide it from Kíli’s mother. She knew him too well and would immediately notice that something was going on.

“Fíli too”, Kíli added and his frown was gone in an instant.

“Your brother is coming here?” Tauriel found herself pleasantly surprised at that.

“He wants to lead the honour guard meeting the dwarves of the Blue Mountains and suggested to meet here with mother. Though, I think he has no idea of… he doesn’t know about… “, he trailed of, not sure how to finish the sentence.

“Us?”, Tauriel asked. Kíli nodded.

“What do you think your brother will say?” she asked, hating to admit that she was a little afraid of the answer.

The dwarf beside her shrugged and, letting go off her hand, pulled her into his sitting form. Tauriel now rested with her back pressed against his chest and his arms were wound around her waist.

“I don’t know… I don’t think he’ll mind too much.”

She released a breath she hadn’t noticed she was holding.

“I’m glad to hear that. I wouldn’t want to stand between you and your brother”, she confessed quietly, closing her eyes and allowing herself to sink into his warm and inviting body a little further.

“I couldn’t turn my back on you”, Kíli whispered in her hair. Tauriel wanted to protest but on of his hands left her waist and he laid a finger on her lips to silence her.

“Shhh, Tauriel. I mean it. I love my brother fiercely and without him, my world would be grey but without you, there would not be a world.”

The elf tried to swallow the lump that was unexpectedly forming in her throat but didn’t succeed. Her eyes were burning and while she told herself that it was because she was tired, she knew that it was because his words moved her.

“Oh, Kíli…”, she whispered, kissing his finger.

They sat in front of the fire for what seemed like an eternity but when Kíli felt his eyes growing heavy and he noticed that Tauriel’s body was losing it’s pose, becoming even more relaxed, he nudged the back of her head with his nose tenderly.

“We should move”, he murmured into her hair.

A little whimper escaped her lips when he withdrew his hands from her body but she sat up and waited for him to find a place for the stones and minerals he had picked from the treasure. Once they were safely tucked into his pocket and the rest was back in the chest, he offered her his hand and with a rather poor attempt at a chivalrous smile he helped her up.

As quiet as possible they snuck back into their room and while Kíli took the time to take of his trousers with care, Tauriel fell into the sheets. The moment Kíli climbed over her and she was securely wrapped in his arms she fell asleep.

Beside her, Kíli was snoring softly, the day’s tensions forgotten.

 

***

 

The next morning both Kíli and Tauriel looked like they had hardly gotten any sleep but Bilbo was too polite to comment on their appearance and Harl probably chose to ignore it. Once they had shared a quiet breakfast Kíli headed out to help in the forge, Tauriel slipped out of the hobbit hole without telling anyone where she was going (though Bilbo suspected she had gone into the woods, either to have some time to herself or to meet Kíli later) and Bilbo offered Harl to show him the Shire. It was certainly not his favourite plan for a splendid, sunny morning but he didn’t know what else to do with the dwarf and didn’t want to appear rude. Harl gladly accepted the offer, for similar reasons, Bilbo assumed and soon they were heading out into the tame wilderness of the Shire, Bilbo equipped with his walking stick and a little basket filled with food.

After walking in silence for about half an hour, Harl suddenly stopped and checked if they were alone.

“I thank you for your hospitality, Master Baggins”, he began and seemed to hesitate. Bilbo shot him what he hoped was an encouraging smile and the dwarf continued.

“I have been wondering… the elf lass who’s been staying with you… what reason does she have to be here?”

Bilbo was, for a lack of better words, dumbfounded. _How dare he questions who I invite into my home?_ He thought with no small amount of venom.

“Tauriel has every right to be here. She is my guest as much as Kíli and you and she can stay however long she pleases”, he answered coldly.

Harl gave him a hard stare, his chin set into an angry line.

“Well, it is upon you to choose your friends, Master Baggins, but I did not expect a dwarf-friend to host an elf.”

The hobbit’s mouth fell open at this.

“It is, in deed, my concern, and mine alone, who I count among my friends”, he said, his voice even colder than before.

“I meant no harm”, Harl was quick to say but Bilbo wasn’t so sure.

“It is just… the Prince and her seem to be… close”.

It was evident that getting the question out was close to torture for him and Bilbo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He knew that dwarves and elves usually didn’t get along and he had had the opportunity to get to know Thorin’s view on the matter fairly well but this Harl person was much worse than Thorin with his distrust towards elves.

“She saved his life”, he answered, “he nearly died after the Battle of Five Armies and it was her who found him. It was also her who healed him after we were attacked by orcs earlier on our quest and it was her that his brother wanted for his protection. Do you no trust your King’s judgement?”

He knew he was being rude, but he couldn’t stand people talking about his friends like this. If Harl didn’t like the Shire, he was more than welcome to leave, thank you very much.

Harl bowed his head and didn’t say anything on the matter anymore. In fact, he didn’t say anything at all for a long time and they continued their stroll at a rather brisk pace.

Shortly before they were back at Bag End, Bilbo’s food still untouched, Harl stopped again.

“I would kindly request to stay another night before I will part from you”, he said, trying to sound friendly. The effort was not lost to Bilbo but he still didn’t like it. Yet, he agreed, being the polite hobbit he was and they made their way back into the hobbit hole.

Throughout the afternoon Bilbo busied himself in his home, dusting a little and making plans for dinner, while Harl disappeared into his room and didn’t come out for a long time.

 

***

 

Kíli made a noisy entrance into Bag End, startling Bilbo from his nap.

His day had been far from pleasant, the work at the forge had been simple but a bit boring and his mind had wandered, resulting in a very clumsy and stupid mistake. Instead of the iron he was supposed to hit with his hammer he had managed to hit two of the fingers on his left hand and while he was sure that no permanent damage had been done, his left hand was pretty much useless for now and it hurt. He had been frustrated to no ends and the prospect of coming home to an unpleasant dwarf did nothing to improve his spirits. A right down thunderous expression settled on his features when he saw that Tauriel’s boots were still missing and not even the sympathetic smile Bilbo shot him pulled him out of his mood.

Attempting a friendly greeting, he said quick hello to the rather confused hobbit and hurried into his quarters. He couldn’t wait to get out of his clothes, clean himself and find something to bind his fingers together. Well, and he was rather hoping that Tauriel would come home because he hadn’t seen her since breakfast and was in desperate need of a kiss that would make him forget his misery.

Just when he had pulled a fresh tunic over his head and made his way to the kitchen, the elf entered. However, before he could sneak back into their room, Harl appeared and, fighting an eye roll, Kíli had to abandon his plans.

“My Prince? I would like to have a word in private.” He sounded much to serious for Kíli’s liking and his mood was back to where it had been when he had arrived home. Especially as he knew that there wouldn’t be a chance for a stolen moment with Tauriel till well after dinner.

“Of course”, he answered and followed Harl into his chamber.

“I do not mean any offence, my Prince”, Harl started, Kíli not liking the tone of his voice, “but it appears to me that you are rather close to the elf.”

Kíli snapped.

“First of all, “ he hissed, “her name is Tauriel. Secondly, do I owe her my life and thirdly, _this is none of your concern_.”

He was breathing heavily when he finished his little outburst and was starring daggers at Harl. He had never disliked a dwarf with such passion.

“I am sure the King…” Harl began but Kíli interrupted him.

“The _King_ is my brother and I believe I know him a good deal better than you do!”

The older dwarf’s eyes narrowed but he swallowed whatever he had wanted to say and fixed his eyes on a painting behind Kíli’s head.

“His Grace will want me back by his side soon, I expect”, he stated and it took Kíli all his control not to say ‘ _good’._ Instead he just nodded.

“I will be leaving the Shire tomorrow.”

“I wish you a pleasant journey”, Kíli answered, without even a hint of politeness in his voice. He turned on the spot and all but strutted from Harl’s room, head held high but inwardly, he was fuming. _How dare he?!_

If Tauriel had thought that the previous evening was awkward, she had to admit that she had misjudged. Horrendously. She had picked up on Kíli’s foul mood the moment she had seen him in the kitchen and it didn’t take Bilbo’s whispered account of his morning for her to understand the terrible tension in the entire hobbit hole.

Barely a word was uttered that night. Tauriel kept looking at her plate, Bilbo was trying to make small talk as best as he could, even though he was not so secretly annoyed, Kíli was sending murderous looks at the other dwarf who, in turn, was directing the answers to Bilbo’s questions mostly to his food or the wall behind the hobbit’s head.

The instant they had all finished, Kíli jumped from his chair, collected the dishes form the table and left the room. He couldn’t bear to be in there for another second. To Tauriel’s surprise, the hobbit didn’t stop him as he usually did and Kíli was allowed the privacy he desperately needed.  

Soon, he was back, bid them all a good night and, putting on a show of yawning and stretching, he made his way into their room.

All Tauriel wanted to do was go after him right away but she knew it wasn’t an option. So she endured another awkward conversation during which she tried to picture Harl as a happier person (she failed) and was immensely relieved when the dwarf got up, bowed stiffly to her and wished them all a pleasant night.

Once he was out of earshot Tauriel slumped in her chair and smiled a little woefully at Bilbo.

“I am so sorry you have to endure this on my account”, she said.

Bilbo waved her statement away and grinned. “I doubt things would have been very different without you here. He can’t stand Kíli.”

Tauriel snorted. “That is quite an understatement, my dear hobbit”, she replied and Bilbo chuckled.

“I have always been under the impression that he doesn’t like people judging him. Especially when they don’t know him.”

The elf smiled fondly and Bilbo nodded towards the corridor.

“Off with you, I know you haven’t seen him all day.”

He was sure that Tauriel blushed a little at his words but for some reason he felt a little bit of fatherly affection when he watched her leave.

Bilbo was very happy not to be alone with his thoughts and the company of Kíli and Tauriel was usually merry and definitely pleasant. Yet, he was becoming aware of something. This would not be going on forever. Sooner or later, he mused, the couple would probably move out of Bag End. Even though he had wanted to live his life in peace and quiet the though was suddenly alien to him. It would be a good deal lonelier without them. With a sigh he got up and, taking his still warm cup of tea with him, went to bed.

Privately, he really hoped they’d stay in the Shire; it seemed to do them much good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what do you think?!  
> I will not apologize for all the Fíli/Kíli brotherly feels... I have been reading too much Durin-Family-Fiction and couldn't help myself :D  
> Anyway. What did you like, what did you dislike, anything you'd love to hear more about? Glad to be rid of Harl?  
> Aaaand: OH MY GOD! I CANNOT WAIT TO WRITE THE CHAPTER ABOUT KÍLI VISITING HIS MOTHER :D


	21. Developments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title says it all :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyho everyone! I have not died or destroyed my computer. Still, I haven't updated in over a month and all I can say is SHAME ON ME and I'M SO SO SORRY!   
> Reasons? Two things happened: First, I'm moving from England to Germany and spent about 1.5 weeks traveling through Scotland. Which was amazing but also exhausting and didn't really leave me with a lot of time/motivation to write. Secondly (please don't judge me), I accidentally fell into the very deep, dark pit that is Durincest. Those people who actually know me: *blushes and hides under a rock*  
> Anyway, I'm back now and will not, I promise, leave you hanging for such a horrible amount of time ever again!
> 
> So- ENJOY!!!

Chapter 21: Developments

 

The next day, Harl left and Kíli felt the weight of the Misty Mountains lift from his shoulders when the other dwarf took a turn and vanished from view. The past day had been one of the most horrible ones among all the bad days of his life and Kíli was more than glad that it was over. In fact, he almost felt like celebrating and said as much, telling Bilbo he’d try and shoot something for dinner. That, however, was before he remembered that he had nearly shattered his hand the day before but he managed to talk Tauriel into going hunting in his stead. The elf had difficulties stifling her own laughter at his ridiculous attempts of charming her into it but still put on a show of letting him “convince” her.

In the end, the two of them made their way towards their favourite hunting grounds and Bilbo waved them off with a laugh of his own. Kíli was nearly bursting with energy and even his hand didn’t do anything to subdue his mood. 

Hunting with Kíli had quickly become one of Tauriel’s favourite activities. While the dwarf could barely contain his excitement on the way into the woods, he was able to remain perfectly immobile and silent the moment they spotted game. He was already making plans for the time his brother visited and it made Tauriel laugh more often than not. Of course she knew that he was happy here, with her, but knowing that he’d be seeing his brother soon was something that would have him in high spirits for a while. Still, a part of her also dreaded the visit because it meant they couldn’t hide their relationship much longer. While they hadn’t discussed it properly yet, Tauriel had a feeling that it would be impossible to keep it from the King under the Mountain and, more importantly, his mother. The elf knew that the dwarf king trusted her and while he might not be delighted at seeing his brother wed an elf, she was quite sure that he’d come to terms with it sooner or later. The brothers’ mother, however, was another story. Kíli had told her about his mother, of course and she seemed like a lovely woman but she was also fiercely protective of her children and Tauriel couldn’t forget the attitude Thorin Oakenshield had had towards her kin. How much different could his sister’s be? Much, she hoped. She was incredibly grateful that Kíli would be visiting his mother before she came to the Shire because no matter how nervous she was, he had to feel much worse and she had a feeling that he was eager to get it over with.

 

Soon, they were huddled behind a thick, green bush, two pairs of eyes set on the clearing right in front of them. A couple of days ago Kíli had seen a small flock of fat and delicious looking birds and he had been eager to come to the spot again. He was a little disappointed that he couldn’t wield a bow at the moment but was content with watching the elf beside him getting an arrow ready. He was sure that he’d never grow tired of the way the wind gently dishevelled her hair and, dropping his focus on the clearing, he reached out, winding a strand of the long red waves around one of his fingers.

“Kíli…”, Tauriel hissed, attempting to make it sound like a warning but it came out more amused than annoyed and he shot her a toothy grin.

“I haven’t played with your hair in ages!”, Kíli complained and Tauriel snorted. It had only been a day but of course he’d never see reason, so she shrugged and let him play with her hair, hoping he’d let go before she moved in order to lose her arrow.

When she didn’t respond, Kíli returned his focus to the clearing and just before he could nudge her in warning, Tauriel let go of her arrow, hitting the pheasant that had waddled out of the thicket right in the chest.

With a triumphant grin she turned to Kíli, pleased to find him staring at her in awe. Of course he knew that she was beyond good with bow and arrow but it always delighted him to see her succeed.

“Good enough for you?”, she asked with a smile.

The dwarf nodded and before she could move to collect the dead bird, he was pulling her down.

“Always”, he murmured against her lips.

His brain vaguely registered the sound of her bow clattering to the ground when her hands moved up to cup his cheeks.

Her eyes fluttered shut the moment their lips connected and a happy sigh escaped her.

Kíli chuckled, pulling back a little.

“There are other things I haven’t done in a while”, he whispered and, opening her eyes, she quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Like what?”, she said softly, knowing exactly what he meant.

She felt a little silly but finally having some privacy after almost two days of horrible tension was too good not to give in to his little game.

“Are you becoming forgetful?” he teased, pressing another kiss to her lips, this time with a little more force. Tauriel hummed against his lips.

“I fear you’ll have to remind me”, she murmured, getting down on her knees in order to give him better access to her body.

“Too bad”, he grinned, his hands gently removing her hands from his cheeks and placing them around his waist. Without further ado she pulled him flush against her and they both giggled a little. Kíli was itching to burry his hands in her hair.

“I thought you wanted to go hunting?” Tauriel interrupted him in his movement, arching an elegant eyebrow at him.

“Yes, but it’s so boring when I can’t use a bow myself”, Kíli whined. “Besides, the bird’s already dead, it’s not like it’s going to go somewhere.”

Against her better judgement she allowed him to pull her just a little closer. She would have been lying if she had said that she didn’t crave the intimacy anyway. Her eyes drifted shut when his hands became occupied with her hair and she moved forward a little, trusting that he’d be there, waiting for her to close the distance between their lips. A happy sigh escaped her when his lips began to move against hers and his hands began doing the most wonderful things to her ears.

“I will miss this,” Kíli murmured, once they both pulled back in desperate need for air.

“Hmmm”, was Tauriel’s only answer as she pulled him back. He was talking too much. Better put the days till he’d be leaving to good use. The dwarf seemed to agree and it took them quite while before Kíli decided that Tauriel had been sufficiently reminded of how much he loved her and how good it felt to have some time for kisses, caresses and affectionate words.

 

Dinner that night was a merry affair. Bilbo prepared a proper little feast with the pheasant and Kíli actually tried to help him, being a distraction more than anything as he happily chattered away, talking of this and that and throwing smiles at Tauriel whenever he thought Bilbo wasn’t looking. The hobbit let him believe in his success and quietly giggled to himself whenever he knew Kíli wasn’t paying attention to him. He had a feeling that Tauriel caught on to his act pretty easily because she threw him a n amused wink when Kíli bustled into the garden, looking for some fresh herbs.

 

“Has he been like that all day?”, Bilbo asked, throwing some potatoes into a pot of boiling water. Tauriel nodded with a smirk.

“Can’t believe we actually caught something”, she explained and Bilbo chortled happily.

“It’s good to see the two of you…” Bilbo hesitated before clearing his throat and continuing, adding “… back to normal.”

Tauriel sighed. “Feels good as well. I just hope not all of his kin will be like that”, she confessed. Bilbo looked at her worriedly, very well aware of how much thought she must have given the issue.

“Hm, won’t be easy, I guess but I’d bet Bag End and my entire share of the treasure on his brother not … being like that.”

He didn’t miss the hopeful smile that settled on Tauriel’s face and he smiled back in what he hoped was an encouraging way.

“I hope so. I mean, they’re closer that anyone I know and… I would never forgive myself if I … if they…”, she struggled to finish the sentence but Bilbo seemed to understand what she was trying to say.

“It’ll be fine, I promise”, he said, not knowing what made him so sure but as far as he was concerned there was nothing that could bring the two brothers apart, not even Kíli’s somewhat untraditional choice of partner. He said as much to Tauriel and was glad to see that she relaxed a bit and right before Kíli strolled back into the kitchen she got up.

“Thank you, Bilbo. Sometimes it’s… hard”, she said hesitantly.

“It will be fine”, Bilbo repeated and couldn’t help laughing when he saw Kíli entering the room, his eyes lingering on the elf. He was unaware of the conversation they had just had and quickly dashed over to Bilbo, pressing the herbs into his waiting hand.

In the blink of an eye he was back, standing in front of Tauriel who was seated on a low chair. He didn’t say anything and was just staring at her, a foolish smile fixed on his face.

Hearing Bilbo’s laughter, Tauriel grinned at her lover and moved forward, catching his lips in a light kiss.

Bilbo’s grin widened at the display of affection as the pair had been extraordinarily careful not to kiss or get too close when anyone else, himself included, way near by.

 

They ate late that night, all drinking a little too much ale than was good for them and even Tauriel, who had developed a taste for the strong cider that could occasionally be found in the Shire, was well into her cups when they all decided to call it a night. Bilbo had been quick to disappear into the kitchen, leaving the couple some much-anticipated privacy. The way to their bedroom had never seemed so long to Tauriel and in the end she couldn’t help herself and stopped walking, stumbling down to kneel in front of Kíli.

“Eager, are we?”, he murmured, barely able to control the tremor in his voice.

“I don’ t hear you complaining”, she teased and drew him in for a heated kiss, her fingers making short work of his belt, creeping under his tunic. She took immense delight in the way his breath hitched against her lips and when they finally drew back and Kíli stumbled a few steps away from her, taking her in. She was beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips a little swollen from their previous kiss. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were sparking in the darkness.

“You are so beautiful”, he murmured, drawing a shy smile from Tauriel. She reached out for him but he surprised her by taking a few calculating steps towards her, only to move closer to their door.

“Come one, then”, he teased, making her giggle a little, shyness forgotten.

 

The next morning they both felt much better rested and Kíli swore to himself that he’d never abandon sharing a bed with Tauriel again, not matter who was visiting. Her warm skin against his was still the most amazing feeling to him and sometimes, in the early hours of the morning when she was still slumbering, he got lost in sheer bewilderment at their relationship. How a creature as fair as Tauriel could willingly spend years of her life with him was beyond him. The uncomfortable thought of her immortality was something that did, in fact, occur to him, but he pushed the thought away in favour of nibbling a pink mark under her collarbone.

 

***

 

Ten days later they found themselves in almost the same spot where they had found the pheasant, though this time evening was getting closer. They had raided Bilbo’s pantry (with his allowance, of course) and set out to have a picnic under the stars. Well, and maybe Kíli was a bit too much in love with Tauriel and really wanted to do some stargazing with her. Besides, she would look utterly lovely in the bright light of the stars she loved so much.

What had started as a merry affair soon turned heated when Tauriel began nibbling the juicy grapes they had brought in the most suggestive manner, making sure that Kíli’s eyes were fixed on her when she innocently licked the juice from her fingers. She didn’t know where it came from, this need to tease him, but it was too much fun not to. She loved how he was desperately trying not to gape at her openly.

Shooting him a wink that made his cheeks flush and his insides tingle, the elf reached for the wine skin they shared and drank deeply. Setting it back down she licked her lips. Much too her delight Kíli had given up his battle with decency and his eyes were fixed on her face.

“Tauriel…”

By the Valar, he sounded like he was barely able to stop himself from lunging at her.

Tauriel smirked.

“Yes, meleth nin?” she asked much too innocently for him to believe her.

Shoving the half eaten loaf of bread out of the way he crawled over to her and in one swift movement he was pinning her down to the ground.

His knees were straddling her waist and he was looking down at her with a mixture of love and lust that made her forget their surroundings effectively.

“One day, you’re going to drive me insane with all your teasing”, he growled, earning a breathy laugh from her. Her beauty was beyond anything he’d ever seen and he promised himself that he’d never forget the way she looked that night. Her red hair fanned out around her head, dwarvish braids only too obvious, a teasing smirk on her lips and her eyes were shining like the brightest stars.

“Maybe that is what I want”, she suggested, reaching up to pull him down. Kíli followed her lead without protest and he couldn’t suppress the desperate whimper that escaped him when she crushed their lips together.

Tauriel felt like she was bursting with desire. Sure, she had wanted to tease her lover but the way his tongue moved against hers reduced her to a mess of sighs, whimpers and soft moans.

Neither of them knew how much time had passed when the elf shifted and sat up a little. Breaking their kiss she leaned her forehead against his, both breathing hard. She could feel his arousal and was quite sure that he was very well aware of the effect he was having on her.

“We shouldn’t…” he began suddenly, still trying to catch his breath.

“Not here”, she added; brining her mouth back to his, drinking in the little chuckle he mustered at her interruption.

Very slowly, Tauriel lowered herself back to the ground, pulling Kíli with her in the process, her lips never leaving his. She was so lost in their kiss that she didn’t expect the ground to hit her quite so hard and in an effort to make herself more comfortable, she let go of him for a moment, Kíli looking at her with a dreamy smile and she shifted a little, accidentally rubbing her core against his arousal.

Kíli watched in amazement as her eyes slammed shut, a surprised “Oh” leaving her kiss-swollen lips. Slowly, his expression changed into a wolfish grin, which was soon replaced by a helpless groan, when Tauriel experimentally pushed up against him again, eyes wide and shining in the light. Encouraged by her movement, he met her careful thrusts. In a very distant part of his rapidly fading consciousness he thought that maybe they should get back to Bag End but every reasonable thought left him when Tauriel continued to move underneath him, all soft whimpers and glowing skin.

They had never done this before. Of course they had used their hands to pleasure each other, soon followed by their mouths, eager to caress and taste every inch of flesh but for some reason the rough feeling of cloth covered grinding was delightfully new and raw.

Getting home was really not that important anymore, Tauriel thought when Kíli finally started meeting her thrusts and they figured out a rhythm that brought them both pleasure. Every moan and whimper she uttered was answered by a groan and she was sure that neither of them would be able to last much longer, especially not after all the teasing she had indulged in earlier.

Desperate for the feeling of his lips on her, Tauriel sat back up abruptly, never breaking their contact. When their lips met, he suddenly stopped moving.

“Why are you stopping?”, she panted, too close to care about how needy she probably sounded.

“Thought not here?”, he answered, trying hard to catch his breath. Had she been a little less distracted, Tauriel would have noticed the amount of strength it obviously cost him to try and be reasonable but she was paying a lot more attention to the lovely friction their were creating and utterly missed it.

“Don’t care”, she hissed against his lips, punctuating each word with a lazy thrust of her hips.

“Tauriel”, he began, his voice heavy with desperate longing, “you’re going to be the death of me”, he murmured before crashing his lips back to hers.

It didn’t take long before she was tumbling over the edge, muttering a string of intelligible words, his name among them. The moans that fell from her lips had him follow her soon, spoiling his breeches in the process. He was dimly aware of the fact that he’d have to wash them before he left tomorrow but for the moment he couldn’t possibly care less.

Once Tauriel had caught her breath and managed to get a clear thought, she burst out into light laughter. It seemed like she couldn’t control herself and when Kíli raised an eyebrow at her she only laughed harder.  He looked at her with a smirk.

“I will miss this”, he said softly before joining her chuckles.

“Me too”, she managed to say before he kissed her, only making her laugh harder. After a while she had sufficiently sobered up and, looking at him her expression changed from wild happiness to something more solemn.

“And I will miss you.”

Kíli could only nod at her admission. It was going to be odd not to spend every day in her presence.

“But I am happy that you will see your family”, she added after a moment of quiet thinking.

“Me too…” he began and his expression became serious as well. He was well aware of how the curves of her body pressed into his but now was not the time to cherish them again. Maybe later when they were back in Bag End, he thought.

“Will you tell her?” Tauriel asked finally, voicing the question that had been on her mind for the past weeks. She was nervous about the answer but knew that it was high time to address the issue.

“Yes”. His answer was only a whisper and he sounded less than excited about the prospect of explaining to his mother why exactly he intended to marry an elf of all creatures but then a smile broke out on his face.

“Yes, I will tell her and she will probably be horrified.”

Tauriel didn’t understand why that was a reason to smile but couldn’t help giving him an unsure smile as well. Of course she didn’t know that he had, in fact, picked the gems and materials for the courting beads and, always hiding his efforts, he had even started designed them. What had started out as doodles on a spare piece of parchment had soon become an entire collection of designs and while he was admittedly a little scared of telling his mother about Tauriel and his entirely honourable intentions towards her, he couldn’t wait to start forging the beads.

 

***

 

Far away, in the kingdom under the mountain, Fíli was starring at his brother’s letter. There was something off about it, and even though he gave a detailed account of Harl’s visit (and his feelings about it), his plans to visit their mother and his delight about finally having found work in a forge, it felt like he was avoiding something. The blond dwarf was fairly certain that his brother was hiding something in plain sight and he didn’t know how to feel about it. Instinct told him that it was nothing to worry about but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing from the picture.

With a sigh he grabbed a quill and jotted down a quick letter to his mother.

 

_Dear Mother,_

_Kíli has agreed to us meeting at the hobbit’s house in the first week of November. I will arrange a caravan that will allow you to travel without having to worry about your belongings and am looking forward to meeting you._

_Your son,_

_Fíli, King under the Mountain._

It still felt a little foreign to him to use his title but he knew that his mother was secretly very pleased to read it. He truly couldn’t wait to leave the mountain for a few weeks and to see his family again. His mother had been worried sick while they had been on the quest and it was a welcome opportunity to reunite in private. Well, and his brother, his brother was an entire different matter.

Fíli didn’t wait long before he made his way to meet Balin in order to go through his travel plans again, determined to make sure he’d arrive at Bag End before his mother would in order to have a talk with his brother.

 

_Your messenger has insulted Tauriel. I had a talk with him about that._

His brother’s words wouldn’t stop replaying in his head. Something was off about them. Shaking his head he sent a mental plea to his brother.

 

_Don’t do anything stupid, Kíli._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it? Did I take it too far? Are you going to forgive me for not updating in such a long time?   
> Also, I'm in a really good mood for writing so I'll just start/continue writing chapter 22 and let me give you a hint: we're about to meet Dís!


	22. Coming home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait! I'm back in Germany and while I've got plenty of ideas I'm having a hard time sitting down and getting stuff done.  
> Therefore, MEGA IMPORTANT question for you: Would you rather have short, rather frequent chapters or longer, rather randomly updated chapters?

Chapter 22: Coming home

 

The day Kíli left Bag End for the Blue Mountains was exceptionally sunny yet not too warm with a soft breeze working wonders against the blazing sun. He hadn’t packed too many provisions and hadn’t bothered with his usual armour, mostly because it had been damaged beyond repair. Besides, it had been ages since the last attack on the route from the Shire to the little settlings in the Blue Mountains he grew up in.

After he had kissed Tauriel goodbye (which happed more than once, really) and bid Bilbo a cheerful goodbye as well, he swiftly made for the very same path he had taken with his brother, almost a year ago.

Kíli wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about the journey’s progress as it was safe, quick and unbelievably boring. The only things that kept him on edge were the flutters of melancholy whenever he thought about a particularly funny break he had taken with Fíli at this clearing or that lake and the thought of finally coming back to his mother. He knew he should have been overjoyed to come back home and a part of him certainly was, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of growing uneasiness that consumed him whenever his thought wandered to his mother. Yes, he had managed to keep his promise to come back to her but it was more dumb luck than skill and his ability to make friends in the most unlikely places. And there was the matter of Tauriel. He had no clue whatsoever how to broach the subject with his mother and yet he knew he had to. The few days he had spent travelling on his own had made him painfully aware of how used to her presence he had become over the past few weeks. Tauriel had been there form the moment he woke up after the battle of five armies, she had been there when he had nearly died before the battle and she had been there when Lord Elrond had burned his wounds. And now she wasn’t and it felt wrong. The first night he spent in the wilderness was also the first night he spent on his own in a long time and what would have been an adventure a couple of months ago was a dreadfully lonesome affair. He hadn’t slept well and had spent most of the night starring at the stars, wondering if Tauriel was looking at them as well.

 

            ***

 

Dís was weary. She had spent months praying for her sons’ and her brother’s safety and now that she knew what fate had befallen them she felt old. So old. For a moment she stopped going through a pile of clothes that her sons had left behind and allowed herself a break. For three weeks she had been going through their belongings, trying to decide what they would want her to bring. Most of her own things had already been packed away in wooden boxes, including the few things she had kept after her husband had died. She still missed him but she knew she would have been as lonely as she was now, because if there was one dwarf who would have followed her brother blindly it would have been her Víli. He would have joined the company. Sometimes she wondered if together they could have convinced Kíli to stay at home, safely tucked away in the Blue Mountains. She hated to admit it but deep down she knew her little boy (who wasn’t that little anymore, he stood a good head taller than her and he was no child, he hadn’t been for a few years now), her little boy with the sparkling eyes and a cheeky smile, would have followed his brother to the other end of the world and back. Even if it meant facing dragons, armies of orcs and whatever other dangers lie on the way.

 

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts and, welcoming the distraction, she got up. Could it really be her Kíli? She knew he had promised to visit but he was never good with promises. One more reason why she had given him the rune stone. A part of her wondered if he still had it or if he had lost it along the way.

Unlocking the door she led the broad daylight in and there he was. For a moment she just gaped at him. Kíli looked almost the same as many months ago. His hair was a bit longer but his beard was as short as ever and his eyes shone with warmth and happiness.

“Mother…”, he started but whatever he had wanted to say was pushed from his mind when his mother pulled him into a tight hug.

“Oh Kíli”, she murmured, burying her had in his chest. “I am so glad, so incredibly glad to see you.”

She heard him chuckle and found herself thanking Mahal for sparing her sons. A very selfish part of her was glad that it had been her brother who had died on the battlefield because she was quite sure she would not have survived the grief of losing one of her boys, let alone both.

She ushered Kíli inside and pushed him into a chair at the kitchen table and moved to get them each a pint of ale.

Once they were both settled down she didn’t know what to say. She just stared and her youngest, suddenly unable to believe that he was actually there. Her silent stupor was broken when he reached for his tankard and his sleeve moved up his arm, revealing uncountable little scars. Dís couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath as she saw them, her eyes searching for her son’s.

Kíli shook his arm a little to cover himself up again but the faint blush on his cheeks told her that he had noticed her reaction.

“How… are you, mother?” he asked when he finally found his voice and got over the overwhelming feeling of being home.

To his shock, the question brought tears to his mother’s eyes.

“Oh, Kíli…” she sighed and reached for his hand that was lying on the table next to his ale.

“Tell me about the journey. What happened to you? How is everyone?”

To her surprise, Kíli didn’t immediately burst into a detailed account of their quest. No, his eyes closed for the fraction of a second and smile that she couldn’t quite decipher danced around the corners of his mouth. Half wistful, half sad, it seemed.

 

“Well… you know that uncle… that Thorin…”, he still couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence, yet it was not necessary as his mother knew what he was trying to say. She nodded in what he guessed was meant as an encouragement to go on.

“I’m so sorry”, he whispered, his voice lacking all the usual enthusiasm.

It made Dís wonder what had happened to her youngest son. Kíli used to be so full of live and joy, despite being an adult but now he was a mere shadow of himself. No, she thought, he wasn’t a shadow of himself. She simply didn’t know that version of Kíli. He was calm, collected and while there was still a twinkle in his eyes there was also something else. _He has seen battle_ , she told herself but a nasty, little voice in the back of her head reminded her of something else. _He saw his uncle die. He almost lost his brother. He nearly died himself._

“Don’t be”, she simply said and she meant it. Balin had written to her after the battle and she was sure she’d never forget the horrible, horrible, sinking feeling that had settled in her stomach when she had read his words. _They defended him with shield and body._ For a few seconds she had thought her entire family had died out there on the battlefield. 

 

The next hours Kíli told his mother all about the quest. Well, not _all_ all, he left out certain bits and pieces (for example the incident with the trolls and how he had hopelessly fallen in love with the captain of the Mirkwood guard) and when the night was no longer young and Dís was pushing a bowl of stew (his favourite, she remembered) into his hands, he had finally reached the end of the tale. Well, nearly the end.

Laketown. Or rather, what happened after Thorin and the company left and they were alone in the house of a family of man, orcs falling through the roof. Most of his memories were inaccurate and somewhat sluggish as he only remembered white, hot pain but he’d never forget the surge of mad happiness that had flooded through him when Tauriel burst trough the door.

 

“What happened then?”, Dís coaxed, knowing her son well enough to be sure there was more to the story then he was willing to let on.

“I don’t remember very well”, he began, shifting in his seat a little and avoiding his mother’s eyes.

“Kíli, what happened?”

His mother’s voice was gentle and it reminded him of his childhood. She had used the very same voice when she had wanted him to tell her why he was sad or angry or what a fight with Fíli had been about. It was her “I won’t judge you now but I might later”-voice.

The moment his teeth caught his bottom lip Dís knew for certain that her son was nervous.

“We… er…”

 _Oh, Mahal, this couldn’t be more horrendous_ , Kíli thought. How was he supposed to tell his mother about his intention to court Tauriel when he could barely talk about elves, let alone her, in front of his mother?

“The orcs kept coming and we didn’t have any proper weapons but then two of the Mirkwood elves…”

“What?!”

Dís couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Mirkwood elves in Laketown? Were they following her brother’s company? Trying to delay them? To stop them?

“They were tracking down the orcs”, Kíli mumbled, desperately trying to keep the hurt

out of his voice.  In truth, he didn’t remember much from that night apart from pain,

orcs, Tauriel and the odd, blinding white light that had surrounded her. Well, and then

he woke up on a pillow of walnuts but his mother really didn’t need to know about that. She also didn’t need to know that later that night, he had accidentally kissed the red haired elf.

“Hm,” she huffed, raising an eyebrow.

Kíli took that as an invitation to carry on with the story.

He spared her the details of the battle, only hinting that the elves fought valiantly and that a certain captain might have had a hand in protecting him and his brother and then he was suddenly very uncertain of how to continue the tale.

“I don’t remember much of what happed towards the end of the battle or after it. I passed out and Fíli told me that I woke up a few times and the elf, she’s called Tauriel, she helped to heal me. Again.”

His mother didn’t seem very happy about that but apparently chose not to comment on the matter for now.

“And how did you get to the Shire? Your brother wrote to me and explained that he sent you away to keep you out of harms way but I don’t understand why you’re still… lingering.”

 

Kíli didn’t know what to say. That was a lot more direct that he had thought his mother would be.

“Um…” he started and just shrugged.

Dís took a good look at her son. He looked incredibly tired and she thought she could see dark circles forming under his eyes. Getting up she placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned her forehead against his.

“Never mind, my little pebble”, she murmured, smiling when he closed his eyes at hearing the old nickname she had used for him when he was a little dwarfling.

“It’s good to be home, mother”, he replied and for a moment he allowed himself to luxuriate in his mother’s embrace, pushing thoughts of tomorrow and discussions yet to come from his mind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again a little reminder - short and frequent or long and random?
> 
> Also, I hope you like this little filler-like chapter. I know it's not a confrontation yet but I'd rather take my time with this as I've been looking forward to writing it a long time now :)  
> Hope to have some feedback here!


	23. Childhood Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kíli and Dís talk. A bit. And not enough. Also, Kíli hangs out with Gimli and Tauriel and Bilbo generally like each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY AN UPDATE! I'm sorry it took so long but I'll do my best not to keep you hanging. On the bright side: This story will be continued and I will finish it, no matter how long it takes me :)  
> Also, I found some jobs to keep me busy over summer and one of them is basically just sitting around at a café at uni waiting for people to buy something... which means I have plenty of time to write. Yay! :) 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I am particularly interested on some feedback on Dís!

**Chapter 23: Childhood home**

 

 

Waking up in his childhood home was far from what Kíli had expected. Once the thought of coming home and sleeping in what he used to consider his own bed was thrilling and held a certain comfort but when he woke up his bed felt too big, the room was too dark and everything was too quiet. There were no birds in the garden, no hobbit banging about in the kitchen and, most importantly, no Tauriel snuggled up next to him.

The young dwarf couldn’t fight the veil of disappointment that settled over him once he had opened his eyes. The once promising homecoming was much lonelier that he could stand. It felt odd to be in the room he had shared with Fíli before their quest and even though his brother’s smell lingered he found no comfort in it.

With a sigh he swung his legs over the bed and reached for the tunic he had carelessly thrown on the floor the night before. He had half a mind to find the stones he had picked for the courting beads but he figured that if his mother caught him sneaking off to the forge first thing in the morning she might get suspicious.

Having no idea what time it was, Kíli walked into the kitchen, finding his mother stirring in a pot over the fireplace.

“Morning”, he rasped, overcome by an odd sense of longing. On a morning like this Tauriel would have teased him about his voice before pressing a cup of tea into his hands. Before moving to the Shire he hadn’t understood the comfort of tea but somehow along the way he had come to appreciate it.

Dís turned around, flashing a bright grin at her son.

“Morning”, she replied cheerfully and reached for a wooded bowl. Before Kíli could protest his mother handed him a portion of still steaming porridge. His mood brightened considerable once he spotted generous traces of honey and apple in the mixture.

 

After his mother was satisfied with the amount of food he managed to eat she gently but forcefully stirred him towards the bathroom.

“Take a bath”, she ordered more than she suggested.

Kíli saw that she had already filled the tub with steaming hot water and simply didn’t have the heart to decline. Besides, it had been ages since he had last taken a bath in a prober dwarvish tub.

Closing the door behind him he shed his clothes and climbed in. Already the hot water was working against his aching muscles and he felt himself relaxing.

 

While her son contemplated the advantages of a dwarven tub and weighted his chances of either making one on his own or buying one and taking it home, Dís went back to packing her boxes. It was a good thing that Kíli was here now or else she would have had to take all her sons belongings, not knowing what could be left behind. With a sigh she reached for a forgotten wooden training sword, a smile tugging at her lips. It seemed like only yesterday when her brother had given it to his oldest nephew. Fíli had been so proud and wouldn’t shut up about it for days. Kíli on the other hand, had taken to cast longing glances at the sword and in the end, Fíli had given in and lent it to his brother.

Dís found herself wondering how Fíli had possessed the strength to send his brother so war away without another dwarf watching over him and keeping him company. It must have been hard on her eldest but she knew him well enough to understand that it had been the only option. In fact, she had letters to prove how hard it had been for him, letters in which he had asked how she could stand living without any of her siblings left, without her husband. It was painfully obvious that Fíli was having a hard time accepting his brother’s absence yet he wasn’t selfish enough to order him back.

Thinking back to the previous evening an uneasy feeling began to settle in Dís stomach.

She had a feeling that something was up; it wasn’t like Kíli to avoid questions so plainly. Besides, she was sure that Fíli was withholding something from her.

Shaking her head she went back to going through the things, carefully placing the training sword in the box that was going to go to Erebor with her. How knew? Maybe she could hand it over to some future grandchildren.

 

Soon, sooner that she expected, Kíli joined her.

“What are you doing, mum?” he asked, a slightly confused frown forming on his forehead.

“Packing your things. ‘s good you showed up, I don’t know what you and your brother will be needing once I get to Erebor.”

She was curious to notice a hard edge that formed on Kíli’s face upon hearing these words.

“I… I was going to head out to talk to Gimli”, he explained after a moment of hesitation. “Can I help you with that later?”

Of course his charming grin worked on his mother and with a chuckle she sent him out; but not before he promised to go to the market and buy something edible for dinner.

 

Kíli thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his childhood friend. Gimli and Ori had been the only dwarflings who where close enough in age to the brother to be considered playing companions. Even though Gimli was still a few years short of reaching adulthood Kíli considered him one of his best friends apart form his brother and he was quite curious to find out how his cousin had been these past months. Well, and if he was quite honest with himself he was secretly hoping that Gimli’s mother would trade some of her truly mouth-watering cake for stories of the journey. Gloin was, after all, her husband and while Kíli was sure he had written to his family to inform them about their journey’s success it seemed like a great opportunity to hear some first hand stories.

Whistling to himself he walked the short path to where the other family lived and was, quite suddenly, ambushed by a mass of red, curly hair. It seemed like at least his cousin’s hair was fine, beyond fine, really.

With a laugh he returned the fierce hug, feeling incredibly light and very grounded at the same time. He hadn’t noticed how much he had missed being among dwarfs his age.

 

Already asking more questions than Kíli could possible answer, Gimli all but pulled him towards the little cave they lived in. After Kíli had given a brief encounter of the journey, again leaving out certain parts, a comfortable silence came over the pair. The dark-haired dwarf was deep in thought and was moving the last piece of his cake from one side of the plate to the other, an odd expression on his face.

“So… how is it?” Gimli finally asked.

“How’s wha’?”

Kíli had a pretty good idea what Gimli was talking about but he did not particularly fancy explaining that he hadn’t seen Erebor from the inside more than once.

An amused expression settled on the younger’s face.

“Erebor”, he whispered, almost reverently.

“Grand… I suppose”, Kíli answered hesitantly and shrugged.

“What do you mean, you suppose?” was the incredulous reply.

“Well… I haven’t really seen the inside. Was busy not dying both before and after the battle.”

His words were a lot bitterer than he had intended but now that he said it they felt very close to the truth. After all those months on the road, nearly dying more times than he cared to remember and yet, he hadn’t seen Erebor. What kind of an adventurer was he? With more force then necessary he slammed his fork into the remaining piece of cake and shoved it into his mouth. While doing so he noticed the slightly bewildered expression on his cousin’s face.

Gimli shrugged after a moment of consideration and got up to refill their mugs. Once another ale had been placed in front of him, Kíli seemed a little less irked by his situation and leaned back comfortably.

“You know what I miss?” he suddenly asked. “Seeing the sky all the time.”

The red-haired dwarf nearly choked on his mouthful of beer and Kíli had to do quite a bit of back-punching before his breathing went back to normal.

“Mahal… you nearly sound like an elf!” he teased.

To his surprise another scowl began to form on Kíli’s face and he quickly changed the topic.

“Anyway, tell me more about … about those spiders.”

It was just his luck that the story about the spiders also involved elves and Gimli really couldn’t stand elves. Apparently, though, Kíli seemed to think that he needed to go into lengthy details about that horrid forest and an elf who seemed to be especially awful, as he was referred to as “that poncy princeling”.

Soon, foul moods were forgotten and the young dwarfs were both snorting happily into their ale, trading more and more stories about what had happened during the past few months.

One particular story that had Kíli grinning without end was the one about how they had escaped the prison in Mirkwood, only succeeding thanks to his bravery.

A voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like a chorus of Fíli and Tauriel insisted that it was recklessness and dumb luck really, but for now he was content with watching his younger companion’s awe filled face.

 

 

Raucous laughter followed Kíli when he left Gimli and his mother late in the afternoon, one of he cakes in his hand and the promise to return the next day on his lips. It was odd, he mused, how many different moods had taken hold of him throughout the day but thankfully, the gloomy ones didn’t linger. Yet, a part of him wanted to come home to Tauriel waiting for him. Deep in thought he forgot about going to the market but either his mother knew him far too well and had expected as much or she had forgotten as well because when he pushed to door open he was hit by the delightful smell of hog roast.

“I had a feeling you’d forget about the market”, Dís’ voice came from behind him. Turning around quickly, he saw that the twinkle in her eyes betrayed her stern tone.

“Ah, but mother!” Kíli laughed. “I brought cake”, he tried to defend his honour.

With a smile and a shake of her head Dís took the cake and moved to place it into the pantry.

“Leave it to you to bring home sweets when I tell you to fetch us something edible”, she muttered good-naturedly. “Sometimes I wonder how we would have survived on cake and honey if your brother hadn’t been more reasonable.”

“Well, people wouldn’t have said so much about me being too skinny for a proper dwarf”, Kíli shot back, making his mother laugh despite the sometimes less than funny memories concerning his childhood. Far too often people had openly questioned the younger heir’s health.

“No, no they certainly wouldn’t have done that”, she replied; only half joking this time.

They set the table bickering with each other and laughing and again, Kíli was overcome be the odd sensation of being utterly torn. While he was happy to be home and to see his mother, he missed Tauriel more with each passing moment. And the worst of it was that he had nobody to share his thoughts with.

If Fíli had been there things might have been different but his brother was far away, ruling the kingdom under the mountain and not even aware of his brother’s situation. Kíli supressed a sigh at the thought and reminded himself to write letters to both, his brother and Tauriel. It was the least he could do and of course he’d still have to give his mother the token from the treasure.

 

Throughout dinner the youngest Durin successfully avoided the subject of elves and the Shire and only when his mother passed him a plate with cake, he couldn’t worm his way out any longer.

Settling down by the fireplace, plate on her knees, Dís eyed her son warily. He had seemed distracted most of the evening and despite his remarks and the flow of idle conversation he had had a far-away look in his eyes more often than not.

“So… my little pebble”, she began, deliberately using the same words she had used the previous evening. Always the watchful mother she immediately noticed the minimal change in her son’s posture. He was trying to look relaxed but Dís saw his eyes flickering to the door and back to her. He had never been good at hiding things from her.

“What is troubling you so?”, she asked, worry making its way into her tone.

Kíli considered his next words carefully. He was quite sure that he wasn’t ready to tell his mother about Tauriel yet but he had to give her some sort of explanation for his behaviour. Besides, she would only grow more suspicious if he endlessly avoided talking about his new life in the Shire.

“I don’t know… how to put this” he said, his voice surprisingly steady, considering how nervous he suddenly felt.

His mother nodded encouragingly, waiting for more.

“The mountain makes me… it…” he was struggling to find the right words and deep down he was scared to admit the truth. Scared of what his mother would think of him, once he told her that he simply preferred living above ground.

“What does it do to you?” she coaxed, startling Kíli with her gentle tone.

“It suffocates me”, he finally mumbled, eyes cast down on the last crumbs of cake on his plate. “I mean, it’s very… grand and beautiful but I can’t … it…” he shrugged helplessly, avoiding his mother’s eyes altogether.

Dís swallowed hard at Kíli’s words but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to feel surprised. Her little boy had always enjoyed mountains and the outside and there had been days when it had been hard for him to stay inside. A tired sigh escaped her when she took in his worried expression.

“Kíli, dear…” she started to speak, somewhat saddened by the way he tried not to flinch at her words.

“I can’t help it,” he said again, interrupting her hastily.

“Kíli, I’m your mother. I may not be happy about you feeling that way but I can’t say I am surprised.”

Kíli’s shoulders sagged in relief and he gave her a tentative smile.

“It’s just that I feel so guilty about not… not taking to the mountain like a dwarf should” he admitted, sounding forlorn.

“You shouldn’t, love. You were nothing but loyal to your uncle and you certainly are to your brother. Besides, how many of our kin can claim that they went on the quest to reclaim Erebor? You have done your duty.”

A low chuckle followed her speech when she saw the surprise written over his features.

“Do you really think that, mother?” he whispered.

“Of course”, she nodded, “I mean, you will return to your brother’s side, eventually”, she added when he still seemed unconvinced.

Kíli knew what the appropriate response to that statement would have been but he was quite sure that his mother wouldn’t like it.

“I… suppose I will… visit but I can’t say. For now.”

Dís’ silence spoke volumes but at least she didn’t outright question him.

After a moment of slightly tense silence the dwarrodam took a deep breath.

“So… tell me about the Shire then.”

She smiled at him in an encouraging way.

Kíli shifted in his seat, knowing that he couldn’t deny his mother but also aware that this was his chance to confess that it was not just him living with Bilbo. A part of him certainly hoped that that if he gradually told his mother about Tauriel she wouldn’t have too many objections. Little did he know how wrong he was to assume this but it would be a couple of hours till that became apparent.

 

“I told you about Bilbo quite a bit already”, he started, hoping against hope that his mother would want more information on the hobbit and his role in the story but she nodded, humming in agreement.

“Well, the journey back to the Shire wasn’t… it wasn’t very pleasant and Fíli didn’t want me to go alone.”  
His mother’s eyebrows were slowly moving up and into a frown.

“From what your brother told me in his letters you were not exactly in a condition to move by yourself” she supplied.

“Ah, yes. Did he mention who” his hopes of his mother interrupting and giving him a clue on whether or not she knew that there had been an elf in his company were crushed when he registered her stony face. Even if she did know she obviously wanted him to tell her.

“Fíli sent Tauriel with me.”

He really really did not want to look at his mother but couldn’t help it. Her expression betrayed no feelings apart from somewhat shocked surprise so all he could do was continue.

“She’s the one who saved me before” he repeated for good measure.

Dís fought with all her might in order to keep the comment in that was currently on the tip of her tongue. _How is it possible that a son of mine depends on an elf like that?_

“Am I to understand that she… followed you to the Shire?” Dís tried, she really tried, to keep the rage from her voice but from the hurt that flashed across her son’s face she knew she had failed.

“She did not _follow_ me. She came with me to protect me and I am fairly glad she did. Without her I wouldn’t have seen Erebor once, mother.”

His passionate response surprised her but apart from a raised eyebrow she showed no reaction.

“She came with me and along the way Bilbo and Gandalf joined us, thankfully. I barely remember the journey, safe from a few moments. She has been nothing but trustworthy.”

“You consider her a friend.”

It was not a question that much was obvious.

“Aye, a good friend.”

Their eyes locked for a moment, both of them unwilling to look away first.

Finally, Dís broke the moment by getting up and turning to the kitchen to refill her tankard.

“I cannot tell you how to choose friends but I am surprised that your uncle allowed this to happen. I do not think he would have wanted his nephew and heir to become friends with an elf.”

“Uncle was so occupied with the mountain that he barely gave Fíli a moment to bind my wound. I could have been shot right under his nose and he would have been ready to leave me to the mercy of whoever found me first.”

He knew that this wasn’t true but his mother’s words hurt more than he would ever admit and they unleashed a fury deep within him that had been there since the moment Thorin had turned his back on him in Laketown.

“Do not speak about your uncle like that.”

Kíli did not back down however and took a step towards his mother. He didn’t know when he had gotten up from his chair.

“I am old enough to know what is best for me”, he finally said, moving past his mother into the kitchen and, once he had placed his plate in the basin for the dishes, left for his room.

“Night”, he murmured in the general direction of his stunned mother.

That went about as bad as it could possible have.

Way too agitated to fall asleep, he pulled out his bundle and searched for the token he had chosen form the treasure. He’d have to give it to his mother tomorrow. There was no way she’d even listen to him when he told her about his intention towards Tauriel if he didn’t make peace with her first. Besides, he wanted to start working on the courting beads tomorrow.

Once he found what he was looking for he looked for some parchment and a quill. It was time to write to his brother and to Tauriel.

 

_Dear brother,_

_I have arrived in the Blue Mountains and mother…_

 

He didn’t know what to say. Before tonight he would have said his mother was happy to have him back but now he was not so sure. With a sigh he reached for a new piece of parchment. He had never written a letter to Tauriel but he felt like it was going to be the easier task.

 

_Tauriel, my love,_

_I have arrived in the Blue Mountains safely and the journey was about as boring as I thought it would be without you by my side. Mother seems glad that I am back so far but I haven’t had the chance to tell her about us yet. Whenever I mention elves it becomes apparent how close she is related to Thorin and judging from the way she reacted to me being friends with an elf I am not too hopeful she’ll accept our love for what it is._

_Still, I miss you and will let you know when things change._

_Kíli_

_PS: Please send Bilbo my regards_

That should be enough for now he thought and got up to find a raven to send the message to Tauriel.

***

 

 While Kíli told his mother about the return journey in awkward bits and pieces, always waiting for her to interrupt and ask about the nature of their relationship, Tauriel and Bilbo spent yet another evening in friendly company. Despite the distinct lack of dwarf beside her Tauriel found herself enjoying the company of the hobbit more and more every day and she even spent some time with the hobbit children they had rescued from the river a few weeks ago. Needless to say the children were delighted they had the elf all to themselves and they wouldn’t stop asking about the “special dwarf”. In the end, Tauriel told the story of how she had met the dark haired heir of Durin again, exaggerating here and there, making sure the children would have a laugh rather than a continuing fear of giant spiders or orcs.

If she was quite honest with herself she was surprised how much she was enjoying her life in the Shire. Somehow, she had expected to feel sad talking about Mirkwood so much, especially without Kíli’s smile to cheer her up, but the children’s laughter, the gentle sun on her face and the soft grass beneath her feet were more than enough to stop her thoughts from getting all too melancholic.

It might not have been the life she would have chosen for herself half a year ago but she could picture herself as an immoral warrior less and less. It was good, this peaceful existence.

The evenings were mostly spent with Bilbo, talking about customs of elves and hobbits as it turned out that the hobbit was only too eager to learn more about the ways of the Eldar and more than once she caught Bilbo muttering verses of ancient elvish poetry, as if he was trying to figure out how to translate them into the common tongue. They even figured out a pleasant routine of going to the Green Dragon, playing board games and brooding over Bilbo’s notes on those poems.

All in all, the only thing missing to make things perfect was Kíli and she couldn’t wait for him to get home. A soft smile graced her features when she realised that somewhere along the way she had started thinking of the Shire as home.

“And what are you smiling about?” Bilbo plopped down opposite her, shoving a tankard of ale towards her.

Tauriel shrugged. “Everything… how things turned out to be.”

Bilbo grinned back at her. “Wouldn’t have thought this would work”, he admitted, helping himself to a fresh scone.

“Has he sent a letter yet?” Bilbo asked after taking a bite, studying the elf’s face intently.

She shook her head. “No, but he should have arrived a day ago, so I guess he might send word soon.”

“If his mother doesn’t disembowel him for running of with an elf”, the hobbit added with a wink.

An ungraceful snort escaped Tauriel. “I certainly hope she’ll be gentle with him”, she replied once she had gotten a hold on herself.

Bilbo hummed in response.

“If it was me I’d be happy beyond belief to have my son back, especially one as reckless as your Kíli.”

“Fair enough. Besides, she made him promise to come back to her… would be a waste of time for him to do that just to find his end at her hands.”

“In all honesty, though,” Bilbo began, his smile still in place, “I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to have him back in one piece. And who knows? Maybe she’ll even be grateful considering the amount of times you saved him.”

Tauriel bit her lip before thanking him. “I just hope that it’ll be fine. I know how most of his kin, and most of mine for the matter, have nothing but disrespect for one another.”

Bilbo didn’t like the troubled look on the elf’s face.

“I hope you know that you’ll always be welcome here. We may not open up to strangers as fast as dwarves do but we don’t ask questions and the gods know we could do with a proper smith and someone capable of hunting.”

Tauriel chuckled and Bilbo was happy to have spooked the frown off Tauriel’s face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo what do you think? Quick reminder: Comments make my happy (stupidly happy) and this time I am particularly interested to hear what you think of Dís. It's actually a lot of fun writing her, so I hope you like her =)


	24. Courting Beads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dís finds out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just... Shame on me. There’s not excuse good enough for leaving you hanging for so long but know that I’m back to Uni which means tons of work and also, there’s been some stuff going on in my life that’s somewhat time consuming. Mostly good stuff, for those who have been asking me if I’m okay (you guys are the best and I’d love to hang out :D!) Anyway, I hope I’ll be a better author in the months to come because there’s still lots to tell! 
> 
> Still, enjoy this! And, as always, please don't hesitate to tell me what you think! Especially of Dís ;)

Chapter 24: Courting Beads 

It was very early in the morning when Kíli left the comfort of his bed, put on his clothes and grabbed all the things he needed for the courting beads, including the wristband he had picked for his mother. He resolved to give it to her later, hoping to appease her further. As quiet as possible he tiptoed into the kitchen, poured himself some milk and cut off a thick slice of bread before placing a plate and a mug for tea on the table for his mother. This had been his way of making an apology for years now and he was confident that his mother would understand. For good measure he filled the kettle with water and stirred the fire to new life before leaving.   
Still chewing on his bread he made his way to the forge his family used, hoping that his mother wouldn’t choose today to deal with the pots that needed fixing.   
The fresh air and the morning sun had an immediate effect on his mood and whistling to himself he made his way to the forge his mother and uncle owned. Only his mother now, but he was still cheerful when he arrived. Deciding to make the most of the weather he dragged a heavy chair made of a single piece of tree trunk outside and settled down. 

With utmost care he chose a green gemstone and starting working on it. It was easy to imagine the bead in Tauriel’s flaming red hair and even easier to dream about a future he’d never expected to have. A few months ago the idea of binding himself to someone else, let alone an elf, would have evoked laugher and uncountable rowdy jokes form his brother. With a growing smile Kíli continued cutting the gemstone into the bead he had had imagined for such a long time. Thinking of his childhood adventures he had shared with his brother a lifetime ago, he spent the better part of the morning working on the courting beads. The green one, he decided, marked the Mirkwood in which he had first laid eyes on Tauriel and where she had saved his life twice. An oddly tingly part of him was looking forward to they day he’d tell his children about how he met their mother. A member of the company on a noble quest, endangered by the attack of giant spiders, saved and ensnared by a fire-haired elven warrior. He would never forget the way his world had shifted when he had first really saw her. Knife still raised, breathing hard, starring at him with a mixture of well practices indifference and curiosity. Well, the last bit was probably his imagination but that didn’t matter, for he himself had been fascinated. It had felt a little like being slapped without a warning, so sudden an unexpected. The feeling of surprise reminded him of that time his brother had woken him by dumping an entire bucket of ice-cold water over him. Suddenly, he’d been hyper aware of his surroundings. With a sigh he returned his focus to the work at hand, allowing himself no more daydreams about future children he and Tauriel might or might not have. For now, anyway.   
The second courting bead he wanted to carve and enrich with fine strings of gold, a reminder that something precious and beautiful could be found anywhere. A third one he wanted to make from mithril, a reminder of the starlight they had talked about that one memorable night in the dungeons of Mirkwood. The fourth and the fifth he was still thinking about but he was quite keen on trying to make a golden bead and one from another gemstone as he wanted to crown his love with the beads, all of them telling a story on their own, the meaning only obvious to her and him.   
For a moment Kíli was grateful that his brother wasn’t around because knowing himself, he’d have voiced his admittedly slightly sappy thoughts and would have been unable to live it down. Ever. Listen to him… the second in line to the throne, talking nonsense about crowning his elven love with precious memories. 

While Kíli spend the morning hours working, his mother woke up to find the house empty. She went about her business, trying to shake the feeling that her youngest was not quite himself. Something seemed off about him and she couldn’t claim to be his mother if she hadn’t noticed. He was quite obviously avoiding something. While Dís was a little worried, she was mostly curious. It was unlike Kíli to withhold something but she was sure he’d spill the beans once he had made up his mind.   
With a lingering sense of foreboding the dwarrowdam prepared a hearty stew and when it was well past noon she decided it might be good to go looking for her pebble. Kíli usually did not pass up an opportunity to grab something to eat and seeing that he had made a peace offering she thought it fit to make one as well.   
Usually, she would have sent Fíli to go looking for his brother but considering that this was no longer an option (it was still hard to come to terms with the thought of her golden boy being King in a far away land), she pulled the wooden door closed behind her and went off. 

Kíli worked on the design well into the day and managed to get so lost in his work that he didn’t notice a figure moving closer and closer once midday had come and gone.   
“And how long have you been out here, young man?”  
Kíli’s head jerked up violently at hearing his mother’s voice.   
Without thinking he shoved his hands behind his back, very much aware of the futileness. There was no chance his mother hadn’t noticed the movement and he did not need her inquiring stare to know this.   
“Erm… a while”, he answered, giving her his most innocent smile, while pretending to move his face towards the sun in order to catch some of her warmth.  
“And what have you been doing?”   
Dís knew her son well enough to know he’d not be able to keep this form her. He may be a fool, but he does know when a situation is hopeless, it was one of the traits he had inherited from his father. Thorin would have tried to blatantly lie his way out, too stubborn to admit defeat.   
“Oh just… fiddling around with… stuff.”  
Being evasive wouldn’t help his cause, Kíli knew, but he really did not want to explain why he was making courting beads, let alone whom they were intended for.   
Dís narrowed her eyes, well aware of the effect it usually had on her youngest. When he didn’t budge one bit and made no move to explain his sudden secretiveness, she held out a demanding hand.   
It took Kíli all he had not to run. He knew his mother wouldn’t leave him alone and he knew he had no chance of escaping her. For a brief moment he wanted to laugh at the hilarity of the situation. He had faced down trolls, orcs, goblins and giant spiders, escaped certain death at least twice, had nearly been fried by a very angry fire breathing dragon and fought in the battle of five armies and still, his mother’s glare was more frightening than all those things combined. In fact, he would have preferred a little skirmish with the Mirkwood spiders to this. Or a fight with some orcs. Anything but this, really. He was well and truly screwed.   
Very slowly and very carefully, he removed his hand from behind his back. Forcing himself to appear calm and collected, he dropped the courting bead he had been working on in his mother’s waiting palm. 

For a tense second, none of them said anything, Dís starring at the bead in her outstretched hand and Kíli looking anywhere but his mother.   
Her quiet, disbelieving voice snapped him back to reality like a bucket of ice water being dumped over his head.   
“Kíli… you can’t be serious! You’re too young for that kind of thing!” Dís exclaimed when she recognized what lay in her open palm.  
Kíli had expected far worse but before he allowed himself to relax he reminded himself of what was to come.  
“I am certainly not too young”, he responded, standing up with a look of defiance sparkling his eyes.  
Dís gaped at him. Her little boy was making courting beads. Kíli, who had laughed at his brother when a pretty lass winked at the blond, who had teased his older brother for two weeks after the same lass had asked him for a dance at some party or other and who had sworn to never let Fíli live down the day when he had caught him practising dancing moves a few days later, hoping to impress Dára.   
“Who is she?” she whispered, taking a closer look at the bead.   
When Kíli failed to answer and she noticed the lack of runes on the bead she was holding, understanding began to dawn on her.   
“There were no women on the quest”, she said flatly.   
Dís did not need to witness the court nod her son gave as answer.   
“You …. The Shire… You can’t court a Hobbit!”  
A surprised laugh was startled form Kíli.  
“What?”  
“You cannot court a hobbit, Kíli.”  
Dís didn’t know what had gotten into her son. What a crazy idea! A dwarf and a hobbit! He must have met a hobbit lass on the way to the first meeting and now he had come back for her. It all made sense.   
Kíli still hadn’t said anything; instead he was looking at his mother like she had grown a second head, his mouth hanging open.  
“Erm… mother… I have no desire to court a hobbit”, the dwarf said with a forced chuckle.   
Now it was Dís turn to stare at her son open mouthed.  
“Thank Mahal”, she finally said, not catching the guilty look on her son’s face.  
“Who’re they for then?” she inquired sharply. As she had stated before, there had been no women on the quest and she doubted there had been any in Dain’s army. Besides, from what Kíli had told her, he had been injured in battle. The thought gave Dís an idea.  
“Oh! A healer from the Iron Hills?” Now, that was a favourable perspective. Maybe Kíli had found a fiery lass form the Iron Hills who had not only healed him but also charmed him. It would be a good match. A son of Durin marrying a dam from the Iron Hills! That would fasten the bond between the two kingdoms. But why had Fíli not told his mother?   
Well, it wasn’t his story to tell, was it?

“No.”

“What?” 

She had misheard. She must have. 

“No. Healer. From. The. Iron. Hills”, was Kíli very tense and very determined reply. 

“Then tell me whom you intend to court and marry, if it is neither a hobbit or a lass form our kin in the Iron Hills”, Dís demanded and for a moment Kíli was strongly reminded of Thorin.   
“I will court and marry Tauriel”, he finally declared, his voice suddenly clear and free from the earlier hesitation.   
“That elf woman?” she asked faintly.   
“Yes”, Kíli confirmed, meeting her eyes.   
Dís acted before she registered the movement herself, slapping him around the head with her free hand.   
“No son of mine associates himself with an elf”, she hissed.   
Kíli wasn’t sure what hurt more. The anger his mother’s voice shook with or the deep, dark disappointment in her eyes.   
“Mother”, Kíli hated that his voice shook. He wanted to be strong, he needed to be. Taking a deep breath he reached out to the memory of Tauriel and their last kiss. Before he could speak any further Dís interrupted him.  
“Do you have any idea, Kíli, any idea at all what your father would have said?”  
She was livid. How in the name of Durin could her youngest son do something like that?!  
“No”. The dejected tone in Kíli’s voice made her look closer at his face. He looked so sad, torn even, that she nearly reached out for him.   
“No, I have no idea what father would have said, I don’t even remember what he looked like or what his voice sounded like”, the young dwarf continued. “Thorin is… was… the only father I ever knew and now that … that stupid quest has not only taken him but also my brother. He is king now and even if things were different and I was there with him, it wouldn’t be like before. It never will be. I nearly died, and not just on the battlefield. All this… all this took so much away from me and Tauriel is the only good thing that this quest has given me. And I will allow no one and nothing to take her away form me.”   
The dwarrodam stared at her son in silent shock. His was breathing heavily and an unfamiliar fire was burning in his eyes.   
“Do not think I know nothing of loss. I have lost my grandfather and my father to war, I lost my brother, I lost my husband and now I lost my other brother. I nearly lost you!”  
She was breathing equally hard now, the same determination glowing in her eyes.  
“You still have no right to tell me who to love”, Kíli shot back.   
“She is an elf! You cannot marry an elf!” Dís repeated, anger still all too present in her voice.   
“I don’t care what she is”, Kíli started but he did not get to finish his sentence.  
“She belongs with Thranduil. The one who let our people suffer! How dare you to … to allow the enemy to … so close to …” She was having a hard time finding the appropriate words for the feeling of betrayal and horror that was spreading through her.   
“She had no part in that”, her son defended his elf but Dís could not bring herself to care.   
“That does not matter! She is an elf, of Mirkwood, no less!”  
“She is no longer welcome there. She got banished because she helped us”.   
Kíli couldn’t remember being so angry before. How could his mother not see?  
“So?”  
“She has no home because she saved me when not even Thorin thought it was possible”, he insisted.   
“Do not start this again!” his mother raged.   
“Your uncle would be… horrified!”  
A pained expression flickered over the younger’s face.   
“I’ll never know, will I? Because this quest has taken him away!”   
The last part was spoken with rising volume and Dís was glad they were alone. The neighbours would have been all too curious to know what was going on.   
“But you have a home now, Kíli! A proper home”, she reminded him not so gently.   
“My home will always be here”, he argued, the sadness slowly being replaced by anger.   
“This is where I grew up, mother, this is were Fíli and I spent years and years, learning, playing, hunting, everything. We were happy here. We did not need some mountain or a hoard of gold. This is my childhood and this will always be my home. No mountain can replace those memories.”   
Dís swallowed hard. She had never seen her youngest son so frighteningly argumentative and somewhat reasonable. She hated to admit it but she understood his feelings. The Blue Mountains where his home as much as they became hers. Erebor had cost her much and she understood his pain. Still. An elf?   
Shaking his head at his mother’s silence, Kíli turned back to his tools and carefully reached for the last unfinished courting bead. His shoulders slumping, he rushed past his mother, desperate to leave her presence. He needed air, he needed to see the sky and to feel the wind upon his face. He needed to calm down and to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Thoughts? Love to hear from you amazing people!!

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is greatly appreciated! :)


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